Normally, the baptismal font is in front of the altar choir in Fatmomakke church. Annica Hed has a good grasp of it. It was the one that was used when she herself was baptized and this summer she had thought that her youngest child would be baptized in it – just like big brother.
But now it is gone – and when it has disappeared is unclear.
– We asked around and we searched but nobody knew anything about it. In addition, you are not allowed to move furniture from a church without permission from the county administration, so we are slowly beginning to understand that this is similar to theft, she says.
The unique baptismal font is a work of artist Bruno Alenius. It is made from a whole piece of seal root and was donated to the church after a renovation in the 1970s.
– It is large and heavy, so you would have needed some way to transport it from there. But so far no one has come forward and said they saw anything, so we can only speculate about what happened, says Annica Berg.
Hard to say what happened
Fatmomakke church has been a popular place for both weddings and baptisms since the end of the 19th century. Today it is also a popular tourist destination with national and international visitors.
From the church it is a walk of a couple of hundred meters over a bridge to get to the car park. The church is usually open to visitors between 08:00 and 20:00 every day. This makes it difficult to estimate exactly how and when the baptismal font may have been stolen.
Hoping for a temporary solution
For those who had booked an appointment to have their children baptized in the traditional baptismal font this summer, things look dark at the moment. A police report on the theft of cultural objects has been drawn up, but where the investigation may lead is so far uncertain. Vicar Maria Berg, however, does not see canceling upcoming baptisms at short notice as a solution. She has therefore submitted an application to the County Administrative Board for permission to move down an old baptismal font which today stands in the Vilhelmina parish garden and is now awaiting notification.