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Idala kyrka

Address
Idala kyrkväg 58, 439 64, Frillesås
Municipality
Kungsbacka Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Göteborg

Idala kyrka stands on a small ridge overlooking the valley of the Löftaån in Halland. Its oldest parts are thought to date from the 13th century, with the church extended eastwards and given a new chancel in 1772.



The church's most striking feature is its painted ceiling, completed in 1795 by the church painter and wallpaper manufacturer Jacob Magnus Hultgren. He created eighteen paired images across the vault: nine on the south side showing scenes and promises from the Old Testament, matched by nine on the north side depicting their fulfilment in the New Testament. Higher up, further paintings show the Trinity and a vision of the Last Judgement, with crowds walking towards the World Judge.

These decorations had a chequered history. They were painted over in the later 19th century, then covered again in 1904 with panelling bearing its own stencilled decoration by Martin Wallström. It was not until a restoration in 1946–1947, carried out by Thorbjörn Engblad, that Hultgren's original paintings were uncovered once more. That same restoration also added a sacristy on the north side and returned much of the interior to its 18th-century character.

The font, carved from a single block of sandstone in a Västergötland style, dates from the 13th century and is among the oldest objects in the church. A Gothic triumphal crucifix in oak, carved in the 14th century, hangs on the south wall of the nave above the font; for a period in the twentieth century it was on loan to the Gothenburg City Museum.

Beneath the chancel floor lies a burial chamber, reached by a stone stairway under a hatch inside the altar rail. Bricked up for many years, it was reopened in 1946 and contains four oak coffins holding the remains of the provost Jonas Ahlelöf, his wife, their daughter and a grandchild. The floor of the porch also incorporates gravestones from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The altarpiece, also painted by Hultgren in 1795, depicts Christ on the cross with a serpent and skull at its foot, flanked by monograms for the kings Gustav II Adolf and Karl XII. Like the ceiling, it was later overpainted and only recovered in 1947. The pulpit, with its canopy and hourglass, was made by Peter Miller in the same year as the ceiling paintings, 1795.

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.

Facilities & accessibility

  • Parking
  • Toilet
  • Hearing loop

Listed by the provider; availability has not been independently checked. An unlisted facility is not necessarily unavailable.

Löftadalens pastorat

Idala kyrka

Idala kyrka stands on a small ridge overlooking the valley of the Löftaån in Halland. Its oldest parts are thought to date from the 13th century, with the church extended eastwards and given a new chancel in 1772.

Idala kyrkväg 58, 439 64, Frillesås

Explore this church: Idala kyrka

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

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Basic listing

Centrumkyrkan

Centrumkyrkan in Kållereds parish. Centrumkyrkan was purchased by Kållereds parish in 2024, and during 2025 the parish moved its activities from Apelgårdens kyrka to Centrumkyrkan. The church was previously owned by an Ekumenia congregation.

Gamla riksvägen 75, 428 30, Kållered

View church details: Centrumkyrkan
Basic listing

Sävedalens kyrka

Sävedalens kyrka, consecrated in 1959, serves the community of Sävedalen in Partille kommun. Together with Ansgarskyrkan, it forms Sävedalens församling, one of three parishes within Partille pastorat, under the Diocese of Gothenburg.

Östra Fjällvägen 1, 433 62, Sävedalen

View church details: Sävedalens 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: 9 Jun 2022. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 927084a4-769b-46cc-8347-356d91e61d04

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

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.