Floda kyrka is a large, three-aisled parish church in Flodafors, Södermanland, with foundations dating back to the 1100s. Often described as one of Sweden's grandest rural churches, it is notable for its well-preserved medieval ceiling paintings and a striking 17th-century burial chapel.
The church began as a Romanesque stone building in the 1100s. The chancel was extended eastward in the early 1400s, and vaulting was added later that century. In the 1480s the workshop of Albertus Pictor decorated the ceiling with biblical scenes in lime paint, including a notable depiction of Samson slaying a lion. These paintings were never whitewashed over, which is why they survive today in unusually good condition.
A major rebuilding took place in the 1630s, when the church was extended southwards and given a second aisle, along with a new sacristy. At the same time, a burial chapel was built to the east for Field Marshal Lars Kagg and his family, designed by the architect Erik Dahlbergh and completed externally by 1666, the year after Kagg's death in 1661. The chapel's decorative plasterwork is attributed to Carlo Carove.
The 1800s brought a period of decline: the original tower collapsed and the south aisle had to be demolished. Between 1885 and 1888 the church was substantially rebuilt to its current form, a three-aisled neo-Gothic brick basilica, to designs by Axel Herman Hägg with input from Adolf Kjellström. At around 67 metres in length, it is often cited as one of the largest and most imposing rural churches in Sweden.
Among the furnishings, a 15th-century altar cabinet and a pulpit dating from 1662 stand out. Seven oil paintings in the church are said to have come to Floda as war booty, given by Lars Kagg around 1637. Portraits on display include one of Olof Larsson of Bie Östergård, Speaker of the Peasant Estate, painted by Carl Fredric von Breda.
The church has had several organs over the centuries, including instruments built in the 1600s and 1700s. The current mechanical organ dates from 1888, built by Åkerman & Lund of Stockholm, and stands on a gallery in the chancel; a separate choir organ was added in 1978.
The churchyard's older section, on the slope south of the church, is thought to have been used for burials since the 1100s, while a newer, more regularly laid-out section lies to the north. A burial chapel built in the 1930s stands in the newer part but is no longer in use.
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A listed ramp does not confirm step-free access throughout the building.
Katrineholmsbygdens församling
Katrineholmsbygdens församling
Floda kyrka is a large, three-aisled parish church in Flodafors, Södermanland, with foundations dating back to the 1100s. Often described as one of Sweden's grandest rural churches, it is notable for its well-preserved medieval ceiling paintings and a striking 17th-century burial chapel.
Flodafors
Explore this church: Floda kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
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View church details: Stjärnholms kyrkaSources, credits and English adaptations are identified on each church page. Provider data: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0.
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: 8 Jun 2022. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: a6fa590a-a248-4659-92c4-66cfb9cf7c91
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.