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Silte kyrka

Municipality
Gotland
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Visby

Silte kyrka is a medieval parish church on the southern part of Gotland, within Havdhem parish. Consecrated in the thirteenth century, it stands on the site of an earlier stave church and remains a notable example of Gotland's rural medieval church architecture.



The present stone church has a rectangular nave with a narrower, straight-ended chancel to the east and a tower to the west. The chancel dates from the mid-thirteenth century, with the nave added slightly later and the tower appended towards the century's end; the tower was later truncated at an unknown date. Built mainly of sandstone, the church has whitewashed façades with corner dressing and surrounds in contrasting hewn limestone. Its narrow round-arched windows are original to the building.

A restoration carried out in 1971–1972 by architect Leif Olsson revealed the well-preserved foundations of the earlier stave church beneath the present floor, along with an imprint of its gable on the triumphal arch wall. This discovery gives visitors a tangible link to the site's earlier timber church, predating the current stone structure.

Inside, the nave is covered by two tent vaults divided by a broad transverse arch, while the chancel has a cross vault lit by a triple east window and a smaller window to the south. Wall paintings survive from both the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries, and the glass in the chancel's east window dates from the time of the church's construction. Much of the current fittings and furnishings stem from a restoration in 1902.

Among the church's furnishings, the font is attributed to the medieval stonemason Sighraf, working towards the end of the twelfth century; its bowl is carved with scenes from the childhood of Christ. The pulpit dates from the mid-eighteenth century and lacks a sounding board, while the altarpiece includes sculptural elements said to date from the thirteenth century.

The church's organ was built in 1900, though sources differ as to whether it was the work of A. V. Lundahl of Stockholm or of Åkerman & Lund; it was renovated in 1985. In the northwest corner of the churchyard stands a stone-built parish storehouse dating from 1853.

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.

Contact & official information

Havdhems församling

Havdhems församling

Silte kyrka

Silte kyrka is a medieval parish church on the southern part of Gotland, within Havdhem parish. Consecrated in the thirteenth century, it stands on the site of an earlier stave church and remains a notable example of Gotland's rural medieval church architecture.

Explore this church: Silte kyrka

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

Other churches in the same diocese

Basic listing

Gammelgarns kyrka

Gammelgarns kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, part of Östergarn parish in the Diocese of Visby. Standing beside a rare surviving defence tower, it offers visitors a striking combination of Romanesque origins, Gothic…

623 67, Katthammarsvik

View church details: Gammelgarns kyrka
Basic listing

Västerhejde kyrka

Västerhejde kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, now part of Stenkumla församling. It stands within Visby stift and is best known for its distinctive stepped-gable tower, a striking later addition to an otherwise…

Stenkumla församling Vibble gård Drejaregatan 1

View church details: Västerhejde kyrka

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: 26 Jan 2024. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 23c7ad23-9352-47d0-9e61-3af9908cf432

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.

Suggest a correction

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

Map data: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL and © OpenMapTiles. Tiles and style are served by World Class Maps. Map rendering uses MapLibre GL JS. The map’s own attribution remains visible.

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