Sköns kyrka, standing above Birsta near the E4 in Medelpad, has served as a parish church since the mid-19th century, on a site whose origins as one of Norrland's earliest Christian centres stretch back to the Middle Ages.
The present building dates from 1850, replacing an older stone church thought to have been built in the late 12th century. That earlier church was a defensive-style building with two towers flanking the nave, and according to local tradition was remodelled in the 1400s. It suffered damage over the centuries, including a lightning strike in 1676 that tore stones from the tower and damaged the roof, and further harm during a Russian raid in 1721. By the early 19th century the old church was in poor repair, and the parish chose to build anew rather than restore it.
Work on the new church began before formal permission had been granted, with the foundations laid a short distance north of the old building. The medieval church was demolished in 1846 by the parish priest, reportedly two years before royal and academic consent for the demolition was actually given. The new church, designed under the direction of Jacob Norin, was completed in September 1850 as a plain hall church with a west tower and eastern chancel, at a cost of just over 33,000 kronor.
During the 1846 demolition, a runestone was found intact within the old church wall, and a second stone, initially used as paving, was only recognised as a runestone in 1911. Both stones, dating from the 11th century, were later returned to stand beside the church after local objections to their removal elsewhere. Their inscriptions have been read as expressions of both religious hope and family loyalty to secular authority, though such interpretations remain uncertain.
Inside, a Gotland limestone font dated to the 12th century survives from the earlier church. The pulpit was made in 1900, the same year the church underwent its first major renovation, when the east wall was removed, the chancel opened up, the ceiling painted with stars, and a large stained-glass window installed as an altarpiece. A further renovation in 1969 reinstated the east wall and sacristy, giving the interior its present pale, simple appearance. A new altarpiece was dedicated in February 1990.
The church has had three organs. The original 1850 instrument by Johan Gustaf Ek survives only in its façade; a replacement built in 1900 by E. A. Setterquist & Son introduced an early combination-piston system allowing organists to summon preset registrations directly. The current organ, built in 1969 and later modified, incorporates some components from its predecessors.
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Sköns församling
Sköns församling
Sköns kyrka, standing above Birsta near the E4 in Medelpad, has served as a parish church since the mid-19th century, on a site whose origins as one of Norrland's earliest Christian centres stretch back to the Middle Ages.
Malandsv 47
Explore this church: Sköns kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
Odensalakyrkan is a modern parish church in Östersund, in the county of Jämtland, serving Östersund parish within the Church of Sweden. Built in the 1980s, it offers a striking contrast to Sweden's older medieval churches.
Klövervägen 6, 831 62, Östersund
View church details: OdensalakyrkanBräcke-Nyhems församling is a parish in Bräcke kommun in the county of Jämtland, comprising two churches: Bräcke kyrka and Nyhems kyrka. It lies within Härnösands stift and today forms part of Sydöstra Jämtlands pastorat.
Kyrkvägen 21, Bräcke
View church details: Bräcke-Nyhems församlingVibyggerå gamla kyrka is a medieval stone church standing on a hill west of the E4, on the southern edge of Docksta in Vibyggerå parish, Härnösand diocese, and lies beside the Höga Kusten hiking trail.
Prästgården, 87033, DOCKSTA
View church details: Vibyggerå gamla kyrkaNyhems kyrka stands in the village of Ulvsjö, three kilometres north of Nyhem in Jämtland, and is often held up as the very image of a small, traditional Swedish parish church, its timber form set…
ULVSJÖ 110, 84393, Bräcke
View church details: Nyhems kyrkaSources, 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: 27 Jan 2025. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: b523b1ce-d8fc-466a-8c66-d6b59bfc3c6b
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.