Gladhammars kyrka is a parish church in Gladhammar, in the province of Kalmar län, built to designs by architect Ernst Abraham Jacobsson (sometimes recorded as Ernst Jacobsen). Its brick and ironwork came from the nearby Ankarsrum ironworks.
The present church was built between 1883 and 1886, replacing an earlier timber church on a nearby site that dated back to the medieval period and was demolished around 1889. Unusually, the new building is arranged as a centralised church on a north-south axis, with the choir to the north and the tower and porch to the south, a layout quite different from the traditional east-west orientation of most Swedish parish churches.
A thorough renovation in 1949–50 altered the interior considerably: the church was repainted in a grey-white scheme, several pews were removed, and a large crown chandelier that had hung from the ceiling was taken down. The chandelier subsequently went missing and its whereabouts were unknown for decades, until a further renovation in 1999–2001 uncovered it in a sealed-off space. It now hangs once again at the centre of the church, which was restored during that same project to something closer to its original appearance, including a warmer, earth-toned colour scheme.
Among the church's furnishings is a wooden sculpture from the fifteenth century known as the Throne of Mercy (Nådastolen), a traditional way of depicting the Trinity showing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit together; much of its original medieval painted decoration survives. The font is of limestone and dates from 1677, and the altar decoration is a nineteenth-century copy of Thorvaldsen's figure of Christ. The octagonal pulpit is contemporary with the present church building.
A mortuary chapel stands a short distance south of the church, close to the site of the earlier medieval church it replaced. Built in 1938, it was given a similar form and scale to the older chapel it succeeded, and it preserves the altarpiece rescued from that earlier, demolished building.
The church's organ history reflects several stages of Swedish organ-building: an eighteenth-century instrument was brought here from another local church in 1760, replaced by a new organ in 1886, and again rebuilt in 1960–61 by the Mårtensson organ workshop in Lund, which gave the instrument a new mechanical action and facade.
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.
Gladhammar-Västrums församling
Gladhammar-Västrums församling
Gladhammars kyrka is a parish church in Gladhammar, in the province of Kalmar län, built to designs by architect Ernst Abraham Jacobsson (sometimes recorded as Ernst Jacobsen). Its brick and ironwork came from the nearby Ankarsrum ironworks.
593 96, Västervik
Explore this church: Gladhammars kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
Mjölby kyrka stands in the centre of Mjölby in Östergötland, its present building dating from 1779. Rebuilt after a devastating fire destroyed its medieval predecessor, the church is notable for its striking 1960s coloured-glass windows…
Kungsvägen 53, 595 41, Mjölby
View church details: Mjölby kyrkaOdensvi kyrka is an 18th-century parish church in the Odensvi area of Småland, a typical example of its period and region. It stands roughly 40 km north-west of Västervik, and its plain, limewashed exterior belies…
Odensvi kyrka 1, 594 94, Odensvi
View church details: Odensvi kyrkaHallingebergs kyrka, in Hallingeberg in Västerviks kommun, is an 18th-century parish church built to replace a medieval predecessor. Completed around 1760, it stands on a low rise overlooking the surrounding countryside, its west tower a…
594 91, Gamleby
View church details: Hallingebergs kyrkaLocation and available visiting information. A fuller English guide is still to be added.
Slottsvägen 2, 612 31, Finspång
View church details: SlottskapelletSources, 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: 20 Sep 2023. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: 1f274b47-c344-433c-9dd0-45d8b10ff4ab
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.