The Paintings

The Middle Ages are often portrayed as gray and dark, but the ideals of medieval people were the opposite. They preferred bright colors in clothing, decor and art. The paintings in Södra Råda Old Church were an example of this. Churches were the places where the most impressive colors and images were found.

Paintings in the choir

Södra Råda Old Church, whose choir was richly decorated in colorful paintings of precious colors. These paintings from 1323 were mainly decorated with biblical motifs and stories of saints, but also with mysterious and unfinished images of powerful people. Perhaps these images are linked to important events that they wanted to convey to the congregation.

Paintings in the Longhouse

In the nave, the pictures could be read as a comic book where the congregation could recognize themselves. The pictures were mainly an aid for the parishioners to understand the biblical stories. Today, the people in Master Amund's paintings can also be seen as photographs taken from a snapshot from 1494.