Gunnilbo kyrka is a parish church in Västerås stift, standing in the Gunnilbo district of Västmanland. Though the present building dates from 1825–35, an earlier wooden church stood on the site from the mid-17th century.
The current church replaced an earlier timber building erected around 1661–70. Construction of the present stone and brick church ran from 1825 to 1835, to designs by Olof Sjöström, with the builder Sundin of Hedesunda overseeing the work. The church was consecrated on 4 October 1835.
The building consists of a nave with an eastern chancel, a rounded sacristy attached to the east gable, and a west tower. The rendered façades show the natural greyish-brown colour of the plaster, set off by smooth white bands around openings and corners. Inside, the nave is covered by a plastered barrel vault of stretched canvas.
A significant remodelling took place in 1885–86 under architect Gustaf Petterson, when the original timber floor and pews were removed and replaced with a cement floor and open pew rows. Further interior changes followed in 1920–21, when the chancel wall was decorated with a fresco by Olle Hjortzberg. A later renovation in 1965–66 replaced the concrete floor with limestone paving along the aisle and chancel, reinstated enclosed pews, and altered the appearance of Hjortzberg's fresco by overpainting its reddish sky in neutral white.
Among the furnishings is an eight-sided pulpit contemporary with the church, its marbled decoration dating from the 1965–66 restoration. The church also holds a copy of Gustav II Adolf's Bible of 1651 and one of Karl XII's Bible of 1703, along with a wine jug dated 1698.
The church's earlier 18th-century organ was damaged by water ingress and eventually replaced in 1869 by an instrument built by E. A. Setterquist of Örebro, notable for an ingenious mechanism allowing a single-manual organ to be played, via a pedal arrangement, with the effect of two manuals. Its installation became entangled in a prolonged and bitter local dispute—remembered as the 'Gunnilbo trouble'—between the parish and the Färna estate owner, centred on the long-serving parish clerk and organist Fredrik August Ekström, whose position and competence were contested for several years.
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Skinnskatteberg med Hed och Gunnilbo församling
Skinnskatteberg med Hed och Gunnilbo församling
Gunnilbo kyrka is a parish church in Västerås stift, standing in the Gunnilbo district of Västmanland. Though the present building dates from 1825–35, an earlier wooden church stood on the site from the mid-17th century.
Explore this church: Gunnilbo kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
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Dalgatan 80, 796 31, Älvdalen
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View church details: TorsmoLocation and available visiting information. A fuller English guide is still to be added.
Flygfältsvägen, orsa
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View church details: Falu Kristine 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: 19 Jun 2025. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: 0b3fdb0c-f24a-47b4-8108-92bc4faba5a8
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.