Skip to main content

Stenkumla kyrka

Address
Stenkumla församling Vibble gård Drejaregatan 1
Municipality
Gotland
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Visby

Stenkumla kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, standing within Stenkumla församling under the Diocese of Visby. Its long building history, surviving medieval carvings and wall paintings make it a rewarding stop for visitors interested in Gotland's church heritage.



The church's origins lie in the 1100s, when an earlier building stood on the site. Construction developed in stages: the tower was added in the early 1200s, and the present chancel and sacristy date from around 1240. The church reached its current form around 1300, when the nave was rebuilt, the tower heightened, and the chancel given its pointed east window. Wall paintings in the chancel date from the 1200s, while those in the nave were added in the mid-1400s by an artist known as the Passion Master.

Among the church's most notable possessions are two Viking Age picture stones bearing runic inscriptions, dated to around the mid-1000s, which predate the church itself. A limestone cross carved with a Byzantine-style crucifix, thought to date from around 1130–1160, was originally kept here but is now held at the Gotland Museum. A triumphal crucifix from the late 1100s is recorded as having stood in the earlier church building.

A doorway of around 1200, originally set in the church's western portal, had an unusual afterlife: it was moved to the tower when that was built, later used as flooring in the tower's second storey, and eventually installed in the 20th century as the sacristy door. Fragments of stained glass, thought to be the work of a glazier known as the Lyemaster around 1275, also survive, along with a carved cabinet front in a sacrament niche dating from the mid-1300s.

Furniture accumulated over the centuries includes a pulpit whose oldest parts date to the mid-1600s, though it was later rebuilt and moved; a font from around 1700, alongside the surviving base plate of the earlier medieval font; and an altarpiece carved in the 1670s and painted in 1681. An epitaph depicting two clergymen with their wives and children kneeling before a cross is traditionally linked, according to one source, to two named 17th-century figures, though this attribution rests on secondary testimony rather than firm documentation.

The church also has a notable local historical association: a churchyard burial connected to the site of the last public execution in Sweden. The current organ, a mechanical instrument, was built in 1986, replacing an earlier organ that had itself been moved here in 1859 after previous service at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm.

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.

Stenkumla församling

Stenkumla kyrka

Stenkumla kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, standing within Stenkumla församling under the Diocese of Visby. Its long building history, surviving medieval carvings and wall paintings make it a rewarding stop for visitors interested in Gotland's church heritage.

Stenkumla församling Vibble gård Drejaregatan 1

Explore this church: Stenkumla 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

Hörsne kyrka

Hörsne kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, part of Dalhems församling in the Diocese of Visby. Standing on the northern bank of the Gothemsån, it is notable for its finely carved south portal…

622 58, Romakloster

View church details: Hörsne kyrka
Basic listing

Rute kyrka

Rute kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, within the Bunge, Rute and Fleringe parish of the Diocese of Visby. Dating largely from the 13th century, it is notable for its extensive early vaulted…

Rute kyrka, 624 58, Lärbro

View church details: Rute kyrka
Basic listing

Havdhems kyrka

Havdhems kyrka is a medieval church in southern Gotland, part of Havdhems parish in the Diocese of Visby. Standing near the road linking Hemse and Burgsvik, it retains fabric spanning several building phases from the…

View church details: Havdhems kyrka
Basic listing

Bro kyrka

Bro kyrka, on Gotland roughly twelve kilometres north-east of Visby, stands on ground regarded as a sacred site since ancient times. Its pink-toned walls and blend of Romanesque and Gothic styles reward a visit, as…

Bro kyrka, BRO ANNEX 169, 621 73, Visby

View church details: Bro 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: 98219edf-3132-4c12-b819-5d57c6265fd2

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.