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Södra vi kyrka

Address
N Storgatan 23, 59871, Södra Vi
Municipality
Vimmerby Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Linköping

Södra vi kyrka stands on a hill above Lake Krön, roughly ten kilometres north of Vimmerby in Kalmar county. Part of the Church of Sweden within Linköping diocese, it serves the Södra Vi-Djursdala parish and reflects the transition from a medieval timber church to today's 18th-century stone building.



The site's first known church was a timber building erected in the 1300s, slightly west of the present structure. It had a rectangular nave, a porch to the west and a sacristy north of the chancel, and was extended several times, including in the 1690s. Inside, it was richly decorated with painted ornament; fragments of these decorated boards survive today in the loft of the current church.

The existing stone church was built to designs by Bishop Andreas Olavi Rhyzelius and consecrated in 1755, reportedly by Rhyzelius himself. Work on the tower began in 1759 but progressed slowly, and it was not completed until 1764. The church comprises a nave with an east-facing chancel of the same width, a sacristy to the north of the chancel, and the tower attached to the west end of the nave. The roofs are shingled, and the tower is topped by a bell-shaped cupola with two lanterns, the upper crowned by a gilded orb and cross. Inside, the ceiling is formed by a wooden barrel vault.

Among the furnishings, the pulpit dates from 1706–1709 and originally belonged to the earlier timber church; its maker is unrecorded, though one of its carved figures is medieval and is thought to come from a lost medieval altar cabinet. The altarpiece, a painting of the Descent from the Cross set within an elaborately decorated frame, was completed in 1757. It was a gift from Carl Fredrik Pechlin of Ålhult and made entirely by Jonas Berggren.

Two wooden sculptures of particular age are also kept in the church: a Madonna figure dated to the 15th century and a figure of Saint Olav dated to the 13th century, both notable survivals from the medieval period.

The church has had a succession of organs over the centuries, from an instrument built in 1711 through 18th- and 19th-century replacements, to the present mechanical organ built in 1970 by Bruno Christensen & Sønner, which retains the façade of an earlier 1788 organ.

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.

Södra Vi-Djursdala församling

Södra vi kyrka

Södra vi kyrka stands on a hill above Lake Krön, roughly ten kilometres north of Vimmerby in Kalmar county. Part of the Church of Sweden within Linköping diocese, it serves the Södra Vi-Djursdala parish and reflects the transition from a medieval timber church to today's 18th-century stone building.

N Storgatan 23, 59871, Södra Vi

Explore this church: Södra vi kyrka

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

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Tjällmo kyrka

Tjällmo kyrka is a parish church in Tjällmo, Östergötland, within the Diocese of Linköping. Though much altered over the centuries, it retains fragments of medieval stonework beneath its later cross-shaped form, and remains a working…

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View church details: Tjällmo kyrka
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Lönsås kyrka

Lönsås kyrka is a parish church in the village of Lönsås, part of Fornåsa parish in the Diocese of Linköping, Östergötland. Its limestone walls date back to the twelfth century, making it one of the…

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View church details: Lönsås kyrka

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: c4c6120c-6cd0-4c4b-ad93-b57ae6700772

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.