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Kaitumkapellet

Address
Lasarettsgatan 10, 98231, Gällivare
Municipality
Gällivare kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Luleå

Kaitumkapellet is a small chapel in the village of Kaitum, roughly 60 kilometres north of Gällivare in Norrbotten, within Gällivare parish of the Diocese of Luleå. Built in the 1960s, it stands close to the Kaitum river and the Malmbanan railway line.

The chapel was consecrated in 1964 and was built as a memorial to Dag Hammarskjöld, the Swedish diplomat and former United Nations Secretary-General. It was constructed on the initiative of Andreas Labba and designed by the architect Jan Thurfjell.

The building's most distinctive feature is its architecture, which takes the Sámi kåta (a traditional conical dwelling) as its model. The timber-framed structure has a roof that sweeps down almost to the ground, covered with wooden shingles, and a smoke-opening at the top capped with a plexiglass dome, evoking the smoke vent of a traditional kåta. Inside, the walls are lined with timber panelling and sacking cloth, giving the interior a simple, textured character.

The chancel window faces west towards the mountains, framing a view of the surrounding fell landscape. Inside the chapel is a memorial sculpture depicting Dag Hammarskjöld, linking the building directly to the man it commemorates.

A free-standing bell tower stands beside the chapel. There is no permanent organ or other instrument installed within the building.

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.

Contact & official information

Gällivare församling

Gällivare församling

Kaitumkapellet

Kaitumkapellet is a small chapel in the village of Kaitum, roughly 60 kilometres north of Gällivare in Norrbotten, within Gällivare parish of the Diocese of Luleå. Built in the 1960s, it stands close to the Kaitum river and the Malmbanan railway line.

Lasarettsgatan 10, 98231, Gällivare

Explore this church: Kaitumkapellet

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

Fredens kyrka

The church building is owned and operated by a separate non-profit association, Föreningen Pello församlingshem. The association receives an annual financial contribution from Övertorneå parish.

Pellovägen 224, 957 93, Pello

View church details: Fredens kyrka

Sources, credits and English adaptations are identified on each church page. Provider data: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0.

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: bb790fe3-7c9f-4444-b244-c0e8ba5374c0

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.

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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.