Gunnarsnäs kyrka

The church is thought to date from the 13th century, with parts of the original grey stone walls still surviving in the west end. Local tradition holds that it once served as a manor church for the nearby Ekholmen estate, though this remains a matter of local belief rather than firm record.

During the first half of the 17th century the building was extended eastward and given a three-sided chancel, a common form of the period. The church has no tower of its own; instead, a free-standing bell tower stands just to the west, built in 1811 and entirely clad in slate — a striking and unusual feature that reflects the long slate-working tradition of the surrounding area. Even the gateposts beside the tower are slate-covered, a detail worth pausing over.

Inside, the church's character is largely the result of a carefully unified renovation in 1946, overseen by the restoration architect Erik Fant. This brought together older furnishings into a coherent 18th-century atmosphere. The nave is rectangular, with a raised three-sided chancel to the east and an organ gallery to the west; the aisle and chancel floors are laid with slate slabs.

The flat wooden ceiling and the gallery parapet carry decorative paintings from 1780, the work of Anders Larsson Krok, who was born in Gunnarsnäs and became a master painter in Gothenburg. The altarpiece, dated to 1740 and attributed to the sculptor Isac Schullström, features a crucifix set among columns beneath a gilded sun motif.

The pulpit, carved by an unknown artist, is notably old — sources place it as early as 1632 — and is richly decorated with figures of the Evangelists and ornament on its canopy, making it one of the church's most striking furnishings.

Among the church's treasures is a font dated to the 13th century, unusual in construction: it is formed from two bowls, one inverted to serve as a base. The base is soapstone, while the upper basin is sandstone brought from Västergötland.