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Tofta kyrka

Address
Eskelhems prästgård Eskelhem Prästgården 181
Municipality
Gotland
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Visby

Tofta kyrka is a whitewashed medieval church standing prominently in the open landscape near Tofta kyrkby on Gotland, serving Eskelhem-Tofta parish within the Diocese of Visby. Its layered building history and notable medieval furnishings make it a rewarding stop for visitors exploring Gotland's rural churches.



The church's oldest visible part is its tower, dating from the 1200s, which was added to an even earlier and smaller church from the late 1100s. Sections of that original building survive as walls forming a six-metre-wide nave and a small square chancel with four-metre sides, giving the structure an unusually deep and layered history for a rural parish church.

The present nave and straight-ended chancel, with their pointed Gothic window openings and portals, were built in the mid-1300s. A sacristy was not added until 1881, considerably later than the main structure. Inside, four vaults are supported by a single round pillar resting on an ornamented base and capital. A restoration carried out in 1958–59 under architect Nils Arne Rosén uncovered fragments of fourteenth-century wall paintings on the triumphal arch wall.

Among the church's interior features is a sandstone font from the twelfth-century church, carved with scenes from the childhood of Christ and attributed to an anonymous master sometimes referred to as Semibyzantios. A fourteenth-century retable, thought to have been carved in Lübeck, depicts God the Father holding the crucified Christ before him. The pulpit is believed to date from the 1600s, with a canopy bearing the name plate of the Danish king Frederick I.

Other notable objects include a fourteenth-century Madonna sculpture and a carved figure of Saint Olaf from the same period, as well as a medieval bridal bench, an unusual survival that speaks to the church's long use for local ceremonies.

The church organ, with a neo-Gothic facade, was acquired in 1900; sources differ slightly on its exact maker, attributing it either to K A Anderssons Orgelfabrik or to Åkerman & Lund, both of Stockholm. It remains a mechanical instrument.

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.

Eskelhem-Tofta församling

Tofta kyrka

Tofta kyrka is a whitewashed medieval church standing prominently in the open landscape near Tofta kyrkby on Gotland, serving Eskelhem-Tofta parish within the Diocese of Visby. Its layered building history and notable medieval furnishings make it a rewarding stop for visitors exploring Gotland's rural churches.

Eskelhems prästgård Eskelhem Prästgården 181

Explore this church: Tofta 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

Västergarns kyrka

Västergarns kyrka is a small medieval church on Gotland, standing on the site of what was once one of the island's most important medieval harbour settlements. Its unusual, truncated form reflects an ambitious building project…

Klinte Kyrkskolan 703, 62376, Klintehamn

View church details: Västergarns kyrka
Basic listing

Vallstena kyrka

Vallstena kyrka, on Gotland, is a medieval parish church notable for its unusual double-nave layout, a legacy of an ambitious but only partly completed rebuilding of an earlier, smaller church.

Vallstena kyrka 1, 624 32, Slite

View church details: Vallstena kyrka
Basic listing

Fide kyrka

Fide kyrka is a medieval parish church on the narrow neck of land linking Sudret to the rest of Gotland, part of Hoburgs församling. From its tower, both the eastern and western seas are visible,…

View church details: Fide 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: 29 Jan 2024. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: d6406e5e-e706-4288-90f0-4630422bf9d9

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.