Varnhem

Varnhem is a locality situated in Skara Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 707 inhabitants in 2010.^[1]

Varnhem
The stone foundation of the old church of Varnhem, dated 1040 or earlier
Varnhem Show map of Västra Götaland Varnhem Show map of Sweden
Coordinates: 58°23′N 13°39′E
Country	Sweden
Province	Västergötland
County	Västra Götaland County
Municipality	Skara Municipality
Area [1]
• Total	0.80 km2 (0.31 sq mi)
Population  (31 December 2010)[1]
• Total	707
• Density	889/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Climate	Dfb

Varnhem is the location of the oldest known stone church in Sweden outside of Scania^[2] (which is attributed to Dalby Church), erected in the 1040s at the latest. It is also the location of a Christian cemetery which was in use during the end of the ninth century.

The Cistercian Order established Varnhem Abbey around 1150, not far from the old church. A new abbey church was erected to replace the older church; the abbey church is still in use.

The Varnhem humerus

The Varnhem humerus was discovered in the cloister aisle in 1928. It is believed to date to between 1260 and 1527, and it is noteworthy because it shows evidence of healing after being repaired with a cylinder made of copper sheeting. It is an example of apparently successful advanced surgery carried out in the Middle Ages.^[3][4][5]

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Varnhem include the following:

• Birger Jarl (c. 1210–1266), statesman, and his family, buried in Varnhem
• Anders Dahl (1751–1789), botanist, born in Varnhem

Trivia

Varnhem and in particular its abbey has received additional attention in recent years due to it being the main location of The Knight Templar trilogy written by Jan Guillou, and subsequently filmed. Arn Magnusson, the hero character of the series is portrayed as living there.