Bladåkers kyrka

The church was probably built towards the end of the 15th century or the beginning of the 16th, though its sacristy is older, likely dating from the 13th century and once belonging to an earlier, probably wooden, church on the site. A surrounding churchyard wall with lychgates was built at the same time as the present church; the northern gate survives, while the southern one was demolished when the churchyard was extended around 1860. A detached bell tower dating from 1748 stands a short distance to the east.

The building is a rectangular hall church with a straight-ended chancel, constructed of rubble stone with brick detailing around gables, doors, windows and the vaulted ceiling. A sacristy adjoins the north-east side and a porch the south-west. Inside, the church is notably light, with large windows and decorative wall paintings. The heavy porch door is made of three massive timber planks and looks ancient; although the door itself dates from the 1500s, its ironwork may be considerably older, possibly from the 1200s.

The church is dedicated to Saint Giles (S:t Edgidius), traditionally regarded as a patron of forest dwellers and archers. Its wall paintings were executed in 1623 by an unknown artist. They were later whitewashed over and were only uncovered again during restoration work in 1926, along with the chancel window, which had itself been bricked up at an earlier date.

Among the church's medieval furnishings is a cabinet bearing an image of the Virgin Mary, thought to have been made in Stockholm or Åbo around 1500. On the inside of its doors are painted depictions of four holy virgins, though only one is identifiable: Saint Apollonia, shown holding a tooth with pincers, the patron saint of dentists.

Other notable fittings include an altarpiece of the Crucifixion painted by Anna Maria Ehrenstrahl and given to the church in 1698, and a pulpit donated in 1709 by Margareta Månesköld, marbled in grey with gilded carved decoration. Fragments of a medieval limestone font were discovered under the chancel floor during the 1926 restoration, with further pieces later found built into the churchyard wall.