Religious sites in Sweden

Fole Church

The current Fole church was preceded by a Romanesque stone church. Of this church, the tower remains and is thus the oldest part of Fole Church, dating from ca. 1200. The Romanesque church was gradually replaced with the current, more Gothic church. During the middle of the 13th century, the choir and about half of the nave were rebuilt, and a few decades later, the rest of the nave. The rebuilt church was inaugurated in ...
Founded: c. 1200 | Location: Fole, Sweden

Bäl Church

The current Bäl church was built during the first half of the 13th century and replaced an earlier stone church on the same site, fragments of which still remain in the wall between the choir and nave. Of the presently visible church, the choir is the oldest part, with the nave and tower being built successively. Paintings were added in the 13th century through 15th centuries. For some reason, the tower was never finishe ...
Founded: 13th century | Location: Bäl, Sweden

Händene Church

Händene Church was built in Romanesque style in the 12th century. A major renovation and extension took place in the 17th century. After all renovations, only the tower remains unchanged since the Middle Ages. The baptismal font dates from the Middle Ages. The altarpiece  is carved in the 13th century.
Founded: 12th century | Location: Skara, Sweden

Vada Church

Vada Church was built around the year 1200. It was damaged by fire in 1404 and 1697 and enlarged after the incidents. The last large restoration was done in 1820-1821. The free-standing external belfry dates from 1640s. Inside the church pulpit dates from the early 1600s and organs from 1852.
Founded: c. 1200 | Location: Vallentuna, Sweden

Rasbo Church

Rasbo Church is one of the largest rural churches in Uppland. It was probably built in the end of 13th century and enlarged later. The wooden crucifixes date from the 14th and 15th centuries and the altar from 1649. The frescoes were painted in 1453.
Founded: 13th century | Location: Uppsala, Sweden

Hörsne Church

The first stone church in Hörsne was built in Romanesque style during the 12th century. The oldest part of present church is the tower dating from the first half of the 13th century. The rest of the Romanesque church was eventually pulled down and replaced with a Gothic main building. Thus the choir and the vestry are from the end of the 13th century, while the nave was built during the early 14th century. When the nave ...
Founded: 13th century | Location: Hörsne-Bara, Sweden

Skogs-Tibble Church

Skogs-Tibble Church was built of local granite stone in the 12th century and enlarged during the late 15th century. The baptismal font is original from around 1200. The altarpiece was added in 1725 and pulpit in 1737.
Founded: 12th century | Location: Uppsala, Sweden

Åland Church

Åland Church is a medieval greystone church built inthe 1250-1350. The current appearance is mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries. The pulpit was carved in 1738 and font is medieval.
Founded: 13th century | Location: Uppsala, Sweden

Gottröra Church

Gottröra Church is a church in the village of Gottröra in Norrtälje Municipality. The church was originally raised in the 12th century, and has been rebuilt several times. The sacristy was built in the late 14th century. The original tower was destroyed by fire in 1893.
Founded: 12th century | Location: Norrtälje, Sweden

Närtuna Church

The oldest parts of Närtuna Church are the sacristy and lower part of tower, which date from the late 12th century and belonged to the earlier wooden church. The current nave was built around 1300 and the church was enlarged during the 15th century. The pulpit and altarpiece date from the late 18th century.
Founded: 12th century | Location: Norrtälje, Sweden

Ganthem Church

Ganthem church is a well-preserved Romanesque church, finished in the middle of the 13th century. The choir with its apse is the oldest part, dating from the late 12th century. The nave is slightly later, from the beginning of the 13th century while the tower is the most recent addition. Apart from an enlargement of the windows made in the 19th century, and the addition of a sacristy in the 1930s, the church has remained ...
Founded: 12th century | Location: Ganthem, Sweden

Bladåker Church

The first written record of a church on the site of current Bladåker Church dates from 1316. The presently visible church, however, dates from the late 15th or early 16th century, with the exception of the sacristy (13th century) which is the only remains of the earlier, probably otherwise wooden, church. The church is constructed of fieldstone, with brick having been used for details and decorations in the façade. The ...
Founded: 15th century | Location: Knutby, Sweden

Bälinge Church

Bälinge Church is a medieval church in Bälinge, Uppsala Municipality. The church was built at the end of the 13th century and has been substantially altered on several occasions. It derives much of its present appearance from changes made during the 18th century and during a large reconstruction carried out in 1874-88. The church interior contains two sets of murals, one dating from the early 15th century and another m ...
Founded: 13th century | Location: Uppsala, Sweden

Börje Church

The Christian church at Börje was probably preceded by a Norse religious site, perhaps a spring or a grove. The main parts of presently visible church (nave, choir and sacristy) were probably erected between 1310 and 1360, and built by the local community. The main models for the new church were Uppsala Cathedral and the Holy Trinity Church, also in Uppsala. The church porch was added before the middle of the 15th centur ...
Founded: 1310-1360 | Location: Uppsala, Sweden

Järlåsa Church

Järlåsa Church has had at least two predecessors. The earliest one was a medieval stone church whose ruins still remains c. 500 metres north of the church. At some point it was replaced with a wooden church, which was however in such a bad shape in the 17th century that it was replaced with the presently visible, octagonal church and demolished in the early 18th century. The church may have been designed by Nicodemus T ...
Founded: 1672-1688 | Location: Uppsala, Sweden

Läby Church

Läby Church is located on the main road between Uppsala and Sala, and is the rural church closest to Uppsala city. Although Läby Church certainly dates from the Middle Ages, its history is not known in any detail. Its origins may have been a Romanesque church, and according to some sources the oldest part of the church are from the 13th century. The church has furthermore been partially reconstructed and expanded at la ...
Founded: 13th century | Location: Uppsala, Sweden

Stavby Church

Stavby Church ( Stavby kyrka) is a medieval church located north-east of Uppsala. The construction probably started in the middle of the 13th century with the eastern parts of the present church. A western, more narrow, extension was built later during the Middle Ages, and the church porch dates from the end of the medieval period. Two lychgates were also built during the 15th century, one of which still remains. Inside, ...
Founded: 13th century | Location: Uppsala, Sweden

Lohärad Church

Lohärad Church was built at the beginning of the 13th century. A sacristy was added at the end of the same century, and achurch porch and the internal vaults date from the 15th century. The church originally had a tower but it collapsed in the 1670s, destroying the church porch. A new church porch was built at a later date. The belfry was built in 1838, replacing an earlier belfry from the 17th century. In 1929, fragmen ...
Founded: 13th century | Location: Norrtälje, Sweden

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.