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Architectural style · c. 1400–1530 in Sweden

Late Gothic

Sengotik

The last flowering of the Middle Ages. Star vaults, stepped gables and church walls full of pictures – and Death playing chess.

How to spot it Find it in the app

The style in timeDrag to travel in time

  1. Zigguratc. 2200–500 BC
  2. Ancient Greek architecturec. 700–30 BC
  3. Roman architecturec. 500 BC–AD 400
  4. Nabataean architecturec. 300 BC–AD 106
  5. Byzantine architecturec. 330–1453 in the Eastern Roman Empire
  6. Moorish architecture8th–15th century in al-Andalus and North Africa
  7. Carolingian architecturec. 780–900 in the Frankish Empire
  8. Novgorod and Pskovc. 1045–1600 in north-western Russia
  9. Norman architecturec. 1050–1200
  10. Romanesquec. 1050–1250
  11. Mudéjarc. 1100–1600
  12. Gothicc. 1235–1530
  13. Brick Gothicc. 1250–1530
  14. Late Gothicc. 1400–1530
  15. Manuelinec. 1490–1530
  16. Renaissancec. 1520–1650
  17. Palladian architecturec. 1550–1800
  18. Dutch Renaissancec. 1560–1650 in the Netherlands and Flanders
  19. Baroquec. 1640–1730
  20. Carolean Baroquec. 1680–1720
  21. Georgian architecture1714–1830
  22. Rocococ. 1730–1775
  23. Neoclassicismc. 1750–1850
  24. Gustavianc. 1772–1810
  25. Karl Johan stylec. 1810–1850
  26. Victorian architecture1837–1901
  27. Gothic Revivalc. 1840–1910
  28. Historicismc. 1840–1900
  29. Industrial architecturec. 1850–1950
  30. Neo-Renaissancec. 1850–1900
  31. Swiss chalet stylec. 1850–1900
  32. Landshövdingehus1875–1945
  33. Neo-Baroquec. 1880–1910
  34. Beaux-Artsc. 1830–1920
  35. National Romanticismc. 1890–1920
  36. Art Nouveauc. 1896–1914
  37. Art Decoc. 1910–1940
  38. 1910s Neoclassicismc. 1910–1920
  39. Bauhaus1919–1933
  40. Swedish Gracec. 1920–1930
  41. Functionalismc. 1930–1950
  42. Socialist classicismc. 1933–1955
  43. Post-war Swedish modernismc. 1940–1960
  44. Brutalismc. 1950–1975
  45. The Record Yearsc. 1955–1975
  46. The Million Programme1965–1974
  47. DeconstructivismFrom the 1980s
  48. Postmodernismc. 1980–1995
  49. LonghouseStone Age to Viking Age
  50. Log houseThe Middle Ages onwards
  51. Raised storehouseIron Age to 20th century
  52. Swedish vernacularc. 1600–1900
  53. Croft and cottagec. 1700–1900
  54. Decorated farmhouses of Hälsinglandc. 1700–1900
  55. Half-timberingThe Middle Ages to the 19th century
  56. Sámi goahtiFrom prehistory to the present day
  57. Seljuk architecturec. 1040–1300
  58. Persian architectureIran
  59. British Colonialc. 1700–1950 in the British Empire

01. The vaults fill with pictures

During the 15th century and up to the Reformation, a great many Swedish parish churches receive their final medieval form. Flat timber ceilings give way to brick vaults, often star vaults, and porches and sacristies are added – preferably with stepped gables.

The vaults offer new surfaces to paint. The murals of this period are popular, narrative and full of life. The best-known painter is Albertus Pictor, active in the Mälaren region in the second half of the 15th century. In Täby Church in Uppland, his Death plays chess with a man – one of Sweden's most famous medieval images.

With the Reformation in the 1520s, medieval church building comes more or less to an end.

02. How to spot it

  • 1.Brick star vaults
  • 2.Stepped gables on porches and sacristies
  • 3.Murals covering vaults and walls
  • 4.Additions to older churches – look for seams in the masonry

03. The giveaway

The seams. A Romanesque church with an added stepped-gable porch and new star vaults almost always got its Late Gothic dress in the 15th century.

Read the façade

  1. Pinnacles on the gable
  2. The ribs of a star vault

04. Architects and builders

  • Albertus Pictor (målare)

05. Where to see it

  • Täby Church, Upplandpaintings by Albertus Pictor
  • Härkeberga Church, Upplandpaintings by Albertus Pictor
  • Countless parish churches in Uppland and the Mälaren valley

06. In the app

1 place in this style in Everyday Grandeur. Tap it to see it on the map.

07. Often confused with

Gothic. Late Gothic is Gothic's final phase. Star vaults, stepped gables and wall-to-wall murals point to the 15th century.

Sources

  • Svenska kyrkan, Folkungabygdens församling: "Stilar och epoker"
  • Swedish Wikipedia: "Albertus Pictor", "Täby kyrka"

Text: Pontus Bovin · Last updated 9 November 2026

Late Gothic around the corner

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