Breareds kyrka

The church was built of rendered granite in a Romanesque style, with a nave originally lacking a west entrance or tower. Instead, doorways were placed on the north and south sides, the southern one sheltered by a small porch added in 1677 that still serves as the main entrance. During the Nordic Seven Years' War the church was burned by Swedish forces in 1563, but it was rebuilt upon the surviving medieval walls.

A sacristy was added to the east end in 1756, beneath which lies a burial vault used by priests and their families. A small timber bell-turret was raised on the roof at the west gable in 1681 and rebuilt in 1809. The building has been renovated several times during the twentieth century, notably in 1903–04, 1952 and 1991–92, work that shaped much of its present appearance, including the altarpiece.

One of the more striking features is the painted ceiling, created in 1795 by Jacob Magnus Hultgren, showing a pale blue sky scattered with soft clouds and a radiant sun. The painting was covered with plain white plaster in 1872 and only rediscovered and uncovered during the extensive 1991–92 restoration, though some damage from the reed matting used as a plaster base remains visible.

Among the older fittings is a pulpit from 1593 decorated with carved figures of the four evangelists beneath a canopy topped by a gilded dove. The font, carved from wood on a six-sided base, dates from the early eighteenth century and shows an angel holding out the christening robe. The church also keeps a metal incense burner and a small bell believed to predate the Reformation. The altar itself, built of whitewashed brick in 1991–92, rests on a medieval foundation, while a modern carved wooden relief by the artist Hans Fagerström depicts the Madonna and Christ.

The church bell turret houses two bells, cast in 1851 and 1813. The organ has an interesting history: an earlier instrument built in 1842 by Johan Nikolaus Söderling was rebuilt in Denmark in 1949 and later restored again in 1995, when it was enlarged to its current eleven stops.

The adjoining Breareds churchyard is very old, said to have been in use since the 13th century or earlier, and has been extended several times, most recently in 1998. It contains the graves of several notable local figures, including writers, architects and academics associated with the district.