Østerlars Church is the largest and, possibly, the oldest of the island’s four round churches. Built around 1160, it was dedicated to St. Lawrence.It consists of an apse, an oval chancel, a large round nave and has three storeys. There is evidence the church was once fortified, the top storey serving as an open shooting gallery. It is one of the few fortified round churches in the world and contains valuable medieval frescoes. There are modern legends about Knights Templar and unknown crypt below the church.
