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Vissefjärda kyrka

Address
Kyrkogatan 2, 361 54, Vissefjärda
Municipality
Emmaboda Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Växjö

Vissefjärda kyrka stands on a headland above the Kyrksjön lake in Kalmar county, on a site thought to have held a medieval wooden church built as the local population grew during the 13th century. The present stone church was consecrated in February 1773.



An earlier stone church, recorded in a drawing by Petrus Frigelius, stood here with a nave and straight-ended chancel, a north sacristy and a timber porch. A decision to build a replacement was taken in 1759, but disputes delayed the work for years; the new church was finally completed and consecrated in 1773 by Bishop Karl Gustav Schröder. Rather than following designs for a cross-shaped church prepared by the national Board of Works, the parish built to a local plan typical of the Kalmar region, using roughcast and limewashed granite. Parts of the older church were incorporated into the north wall.

The broad hall-like nave is covered by a barrel-vaulted wooden ceiling, painted pale blue, with white walls and a green cornice. The enclosed box pews are said to be largely original, as is the chancel seating. A wooden bell tower with a curved cap was erected the year after the church's consecration and still holds three named bells.

The most notable furnishing is the altarpiece, painted in 1795 by Pehr Hörberg and depicting the descent of Christ from the cross; it is set within a pilastered altar surround with a triangular pediment. The semicircular altar rail has turned baluster shafts, and the Empire-style pulpit with its sounding board dates from 1841, reached by stairs from the sacristy and decorated with gilded Christian symbols on its three panels.   

Among the church's smaller curiosities is a floor clock beneath the organ gallery, said to have been given to the church in 1776 by the parish's farmhands, whose names and home villages are recorded on an accompanying board. The church also holds two font basins: a red limestone font made in 1938 and an older oak font thought to date from the 17th century, next to which hangs an embroidered wall-hanging rich in religious imagery. The organ gallery itself, with its curved central section, dates from the time of the church's construction; the organ it houses has a complicated history, incorporating older pipework transferred from Kalmar Cathedral and later restoration work aimed at recreating its 19th-century sound.

A short distance from the churchyard, across the Lyckeby stream, stand a group of former church stables built in the mid-19th century and used until the 1930s; they now serve as a local heritage museum and are the venue for an annual midsummer pageant recalling episodes from the parish's history.

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

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

Emmaboda pastorat

Vissefjärda kyrka

Vissefjärda kyrka stands on a headland above the Kyrksjön lake in Kalmar county, on a site thought to have held a medieval wooden church built as the local population grew during the 13th century. The present stone church was consecrated in February 1773.

Kyrkogatan 2, 361 54, Vissefjärda

Explore this church: Vissefjärda kyrka

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

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Basic listing

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Landsvägen Böda 45, 387 73, Löttorp

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Asa kyrka

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View church details: Asa 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: 1 Jul 2025. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 4cc4de34-b2c8-4c46-a1e5-2e6515e196a8

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

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Photographs are credited individually with their own licence or permission. The API data licence does not automatically cover photographs. No images are imported automatically.