Redslareds kyrka

A church is thought to have stood here since medieval times. A timber church built in the 17th century burned down in 1675, destroying many older furnishings, and the present stone church was erected afterwards. As the local population grew, the parish decided in 1817 to enlarge the building, extending and widening it the following year and adding the sacristy that still stands today.

The church reached its current form in 1858, when the nave was lengthened westward and the tower built, replacing a worn-out bell frame. The work was carried out by master builder Andreas Pehrsson to designs by the architect Johan Fredrik Åbom. The tower is crowned with an eight-sided lantern and spire, clad in copper, while the nave and sacristy have saddle roofs covered with tiles. Above the door, the monogram of King Carl XIV Johan and the date 1818 can still be seen.

Several rounds of renovation followed over the years, including refitting in 1903 and 1924, the installation of central heating in 1945, and further redecoration and new windows around mid-century. Among the furnishings that survived or were later added are a communion chalice from 1774, an altar built in 1818 and painted in 1834, and a square, grey-painted pulpit in neoclassical style dating from the same 1818 rebuilding, with gilded details. Nearby hangs a painting that once served as the altarpiece before being replaced. The present altarpiece, painted in 1949 by John Hedæus, depicts the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

The oak font, square with chamfered corners, dates from 1919 and stands together with an older altar cross rescued from an earlier building. The church also holds an organ built in 1884 by Johannes Andersson of Långaryd, with a facade designed by Ludvig Petersson, later renovated in 1962. Its larger bell is of a late medieval type decorated with four wheel crosses, while the smaller bell was donated by a needlework guild in 1936 and later recast.

According to Swedish Wikipedia, the church was closed in 2018 because of damp and mould damage and various structural problems, with the cost of repair estimated at around 18 million kronor — funds the parish reportedly could not raise. Discussions between the parish and the diocese are said to have continued in the following years, and by 2025 the parish was reported to be preparing an application to have the church demolished. This remains a developing and unresolved matter, and its current status should not be assumed.