This tour takes you though medieval Skaraborg, where you will get an insight into what society looked like in the Middle Ages. In some places, you can use Augmented Reality to see 3D models of archaeological objects. You need to be at the location to be able to see these.
The story in text:
The church in Götene was built in the 12th century, dedicated to Saint Elin, and it is one of the oldest church buildings in the diocese. According to legend, Elin was murdered in connection with the actual church inauguration here in Götene, in the Year of our Lord 1160.
Elin of Skövde (or Helena of Skövde) is a saint revered in the whole of Sweden and parts of the Nordic countries. She is considered the patron saint of Västergötland and Skövde, and was Sweden's first female saint.
Legend says that Elin was widowed at an early age. In the marriage she had many children. After her husband's death she lived a chaste life on her estate in Våmb and made generous donations to the church in Skövde.
Elin had a daughter who was the victim of her husband’s violence. This led to the man, Elin’s son-in-law, being slain by a servant. The man's relatives blamed what had happened on Elin and therefore took bloody revenge by killing her when she was on her way to the church inauguration in Götene around the year 1160. Just before her death, Elin had completed a pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Elin was buried in Skövde church and it is said that many miracles have happened at her grave. There is a legend that she was canonised by Pope Alexander III on the initiative of Sweden's first archbishop, Stefan of Alvastra.
Behind the legend of Elin we can perceive an authentic and powerful woman, one of the people who took the initiative to the ambitious church constructions of her time. Elin was probably co-financier or the main financier of the churches in both Götene and Skövde. Elin’s story however bears witness to much more. As a wealthy widow with large influence it was Elin’s duty to see to the well-being of relatives and friends. If her daughter was repeatedly maltreated, it was Elin's duty to act. In other words: she may very well have been responsible for the murder of her son-in-law. In addition, one of the most common motivations behind pilgrimages was to do penance. To be forgiven for the sin of murder required a great deal of penance, and the Holy Land was a suitable destination.
To this day, a relic – a piece of bone from her little finger – is kept in a reliquary in the altar. In addition, Elin is portrayed in the late mediaeval frescoes that adorn the church interior.
In an industrial estate in Götene there is another water spring, which is said to have appeared on the site of Elin’s death.