Hössna kyrka is a nineteenth-century parish church near Ulricehamn in Västergötland, built in 1839 to replace a medieval predecessor. It stands within a preserved historic setting of old schoolhouse, vicarage and manor, and retains several notable furnishings from its earlier building.
The present church was built quickly after the parish decided in 1822 that the old medieval church was damaged and too small. Plans were drawn up by the architect G. L. Westerling and modified by master builder Lars Nilsson; the design is a typical Empire-style church with an apse-shaped sacristy and a tower with a lantern. The decision to build was confirmed in February 1839 and the church was solemnly consecrated later that same year, on 29 September according to one source.
The old medieval church stood a short distance to the north; only its sacristy survives, and this is still used today for smaller services. Sources agree on this continuity but differ slightly on emphasis and detail.
Among the church's most striking objects is its great bell, cast in 1345 by a founder named Håkan (Haquinus) and bearing a Latin runic inscription naming the reigning king, bishop and local clergy of the time; it is counted among Sweden's nineteen surviving medieval rune bells. The font, carved from sandstone around 1200, has an unusual form: it appears to be made of two nearly identical halves joined together, and local tradition connects one half to a now-vanished church at Kinnared, though this remains a traditional attribution rather than a documented fact. Two silver communion chalices from the fifteenth century are also kept in the church, one traditionally used for parish sick-communion visits.
The carved pulpit, made in 1716 by Jonas Ullberg of Velinga and decorated with images of Christ and the four evangelists, originally stood in the old church and was brought into the new one. An 1828 inventory dismissively described it as lacking taste or value, yet after conservation work in 1955 it is now regarded as a fine and valuable piece, with its original paintwork uncovered beneath later layers.
The large mural serving as an altarpiece, painted directly onto the chancel wall in 1899 by the church painter A. G. Ljungström, depicts the Transfiguration of Christ, with Moses, Elijah and the apostles Peter, James and John. When the church was built in 1839 the altar from the old building was not reused; a gilded cross took its place and can still be seen in a wall niche. Restoration in 1955 altered the interior further, including the blocking of two chancel windows, and later work in the 1990s brought lighter interior colours.
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Ulricehamns pastorat
Ulricehamns pastorat
Hössna kyrka is a nineteenth-century parish church near Ulricehamn in Västergötland, built in 1839 to replace a medieval predecessor. It stands within a preserved historic setting of old schoolhouse, vicarage and manor, and retains several notable furnishings from its earlier building.
Explore this church: Hössna kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
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View church details: Broddarps 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: 8 May 2025. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: b911c75d-a1be-4308-9364-177a4e63b198
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.