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Christinae kyrka

Address
Västra Kyrkogatan 1, Alingsås
Municipality
Alingsås Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Skara

Christinae kyrka stands on the main square of Alingsås, at the heart of the town's daily life. Built in the mid-1600s and named after Queen Christina, an early benefactor, it remains an active parish church within a much larger complex of community and cultural life.



Construction of the church took place between 1642 and 1651, on the site of the town's main square, after Alingsås had become a town and the parish had split from its predecessor. Queen Christina's donation of 100 daler silver towards the building gave the church its name, though for a period it was known simply as the Stadskyrkan (town church), before reverting to its original name after a major renovation in 1986. The building is designed in the classicist style typical of its period, with a fully broad, three-sided chancel. Its tower, added between 1788 and 1793, carries a dome and lantern that give it a Gustavian character.

The interior has been altered repeatedly over the centuries, though the wooden barrel vault from the late 1700s and the pulpit of 1791 survive from that period. The colour scheme—a blue ceiling, dark red pews and galleries, and pale pink-yellow walls—is said to evoke, in the words used locally, a stretch of sky and a scent of earth. The church today seats around 250–400 visitors, according to differing sources.

The oldest surviving furnishing is an altar painting dating from 1658, by an unknown artist, now displayed on the north wall of the nave; it survived as the main altarpiece until 1791. Nearby hang two oil paintings, likely from the late 1700s, depicting the deposition of Christ and Mary and John at the cross; these were donated to the church in 1804. Two carved figures above the south door, by the sculptor H. Holm, date from 1907 and once formed part of an earlier altar arrangement.

The present altarpiece over the chancel is a triptych painted in 1945 by Bo Beskow, showing the Sermon on the Mount flanked by Christ's entry into Jerusalem and the agony in Gethsemane. Beskow also created the two stained-glass windows beside it, depicting the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life, though these were not added until 1985. Nearby, a pewter font designed in 1931 by architects Helge Zimdahl and Nils Ahrbom stands beside a carved wooden relief by Arvid Bryth from 1972.

The porch, rebuilt at various times, once stood on the church's south side between 1714 and 1865 before moving to its current position in the west. Four black memorial tablets from the 1600s, bearing the initials of the Dreffenfäldt, Wernstedt and Ribbing families, are displayed there. Outside, on the church's south side, the agriculturalist and industrialist Jonas Alströmer is buried within an iron-railed enclosure, and a carved stone tablet of 1682 records the founding year of the church, 1642.

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.

Facilities & accessibility

  • Toilet
  • Hearing loop
  • Ramp
  • Accessible toilet

Listed by the provider; availability has not been independently checked. An unlisted facility is not necessarily unavailable.

A listed ramp does not confirm step-free access throughout the building.

Alingsås pastorat

Christinae kyrka

Christinae kyrka stands on the main square of Alingsås, at the heart of the town's daily life. Built in the mid-1600s and named after Queen Christina, an early benefactor, it remains an active parish church within a much larger complex of community and cultural life.

Västra Kyrkogatan 1, Alingsås

Explore this church: Christinae kyrka

Church information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.

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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: 11 Mar 2025. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: d0499d0a-2bff-4652-a36a-08d4dda3a0da

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.