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Stora Kopparbergs kyrka

Address
Kyrkogårdsgränd 2, 791 33, Falun
Municipality
Falu kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Västerås

Stora Kopparbergs kyrka stands in the centre of Falun and serves as the parish church of Stora Kopparbergs församling. Its origins reach back to the medieval period, and it is considered the oldest building in the town, with parts said to date from the 14th century.



The nave was built during the 15th century, though sections of the walls are believed to survive from the 14th century. Over subsequent centuries the church grew: a medieval sacristy was extended in 1691, a three-sided chancel was added to the east in 1684–86, and a west tower followed in 1780, later crowned with a spire. Small corner towers and a dozen slender pinnacles along the nave roof were added later still, giving the exterior its distinctive silhouette beneath copper-clad roofs.

Inside, the church is renowned for its star vaults, nineteen in total, said to be more numerous here than in any other Swedish church. Patterned brick ribs form varied star designs across the three-aisled nave, with ten octagonal brick pillars separating the central aisle from the side aisles. Leaded and coloured glass fills the windows, and limestone flooring dating from 1898–1901 runs along the aisles, matched by pews of the same period with carved gable ends.

Among the fittings, an oak pulpit from the 1600s stands at the front of the nave, richly carved and darkly stained. In the chancel, a limestone altar table from 1978–79 stands before an earlier brick altar of 1900, faced with limestone slabs; the altarpiece behind is of light oiled oak with figures carved in whitebeam and maple. The west gallery, built in 1963 in a modernist style, rests on plain concrete pillars with sandblasted surfaces, its organ case and balustrade finished in flat lacquered oak.

The church's organ history stretches back to the 1500s, with instruments built and rebuilt across several centuries; the current mechanical gallery organ dates from 1963. A notable addition came in 2001, when a historic English chamber organ built in 1914 by W. Hill & Son — previously used in a London church and briefly in the Netherlands — was installed as a choir organ after being dismantled, transported and restored.

Four bells hang in the tower. The largest, cast in 1598 and recast in 1744, weighs some 4.8 tonnes, while the smallest and most recent, the Sankta Anna bell, was cast in 1987, replacing an older bell.

Opening hours

Opening hours have not been confirmed for the current date. This does not mean the church is closed.

Check access with the parish before travelling. Services and seasonal changes can affect visits.

Falu pastorat

Stora Kopparbergs kyrka

Stora Kopparbergs kyrka stands in the centre of Falun and serves as the parish church of Stora Kopparbergs församling. Its origins reach back to the medieval period, and it is considered the oldest building in the town, with parts said to date from the 14th century.

Kyrkogårdsgränd 2, 791 33, Falun

Explore this church: Stora Kopparbergs kyrka

Church information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.

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Sources & credits

Provider catalogue data: Svenska kyrkan, Platser, CC BY 4.0. Separately credited descriptions retain their stated source and licence terms. Catalogue and visiting data reformatted from the provider. The English guide combines and abridges separately credited sources below.

Provider record updated: 17 Oct 2022. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 2d8f12f9-fba1-45f0-8cfa-26def9632cf5

Guide sources

This English guide combines, abridges and translates the sources below with AI assistance, with editorial contributions by Churches in Sweden. It has not been independently verified. The adapted guide text is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photographs and map data have their own terms.

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Church data retrieved 24 Sep 2026. Visiting details have not been independently verified.

Sources, licences & reuse

Independent guide

Churches in Sweden is an independent guide. It is not an official Svenska kyrkan website and does not imply sponsorship or endorsement.

Church information

Source: Svenska kyrkan — Platser, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. English adaptations by Churches in Sweden are identified on each profile. Our adaptations solely from Platser are offered under CC BY 4.0. Guides combining Wikipedia with other compatible sources are identified individually and offered under CC BY-SA 4.0; this covers that guide text, not the whole website. Separately credited third-party material retains its stated terms. Independently written descriptions are identified on their profiles. Imported material has not been independently verified. Original names and visiting details are retained; presentation is reformatted. Each profile identifies its source record and any additional supplied credits.

You may reuse the licensed church material under CC BY 4.0, including commercially, with the required attribution, licence link and indication of changes. No additional site restriction overrides those rights. The licence does not automatically cover separately credited images or map data.

Provider disclaimer

Svenska kyrkan supplies Platser data without guaranteeing that it is correct, current, complete across its organisation, or always available. The material is provided as-is and as-available, subject to the licence’s disclaimer of warranties and limitation of liability.

Svenska kyrkan kan ej garantera att den data som finns i Platser:
– är korrekt.
– är aktuell.
– är komplett för hela Svenska kyrkans organisation.
– alltid är tillgänglig.

Preserved provider agreement · Full licence

Automatic diocese associations use the organisation codes from Svenska kyrkan UnitAPI. An association does not establish ownership or denomination. External editorial sources are credited separately.

Map and photographs

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Photographs are credited individually with their own licence or permission. The API data licence does not automatically cover photographs. No images are imported automatically.