Wikipedia:Today's featured list/September 7, 2015
There are nineteen ruined churches on the Swedish island of Gotland, in the Baltic Sea, twelve of which lie in Visby, the island's main town. Of these, ten lie within the medieval city walls. Of the 94 medieval parish churches in the countryside, 91 are still in use. There are also the ruins of two monasteries and two chapels on Gotland. Gotland began to gradually abandon Norse religion and adopt Christianity during the 11th century. The church building period was fairly short; in the countryside stone churches were erected between the early 12th and mid-14th centuries, while in Visby the last churches were inaugurated during the 15th century. Some of these churches have since been ruined. Following the Black Death, the invasion of Gotland by Valdemar IV of Denmark and the Battle of Visby in 1361, and a general decrease in trade, Gotland entered a period of decline. After the Reformation some churches also became superfluous. (Full list...)