Church history
The predecessor of Askim Church already existed in the 13th century and was located where Askim's northern churchyard now lies (next to Mikaelskyrkan). The beautiful little churchyard and the large stones that were in the centre aisle are all that remains from that time. On 12 November 1876, in the middle of an ongoing service, the church was destroyed by fire. It was then decided that the church should be rebuilt more centrally in the parish, in Hovås, a few kilometres south of Askim.
The construction of Askim Church took just over a year and was completed by builder A Krüger in Gothenburg. Unusually, the church is oriented north-south with the tower in the north, due to the shape of the rock outcrop. The building material is rough-hewn stone - today plastered white - and the stone was partly taken from the walls of the old church. Among the items rescued from the fire were the church bells, the altar cabinet, a church chest, a floor clock, a wine-red velvet chasuble from the 18th century, and the font, which dates from the 13th century. All of these can be seen in the church except for the font, which is held at the Gothenburg Museum.
The altarpiece
The altarpiece is a wood carving from 1726 by "the sculptor Master Nils Killman" of Borås. He was paid 270 daler in silver coin for his work. The centre field of the piece has a carved depiction of Jesus on the cross, with the apostle Paul standing to the right holding a sword. The upper section shows the entombment of Jesus. At the very top is a small wooden statue depicting Jesus with the banner of victory in the red-and-white colours of the crusaders.
The chancel windows
In 1933 the church received a pair of very beautiful painted windows, one on each side of the altar. Both illustrate, in their own way, the care that Jesus shows towards us as human beings. The left one depicts the story of Jesus blessing the children, and the right one tells of Jesus's struggle in prayer at Gethsemane in the hours before he died on the cross. The windows were made by the artist Gunnar Erik Ström and were donated by Gustaf Werner of Gothenburg.
The gallery front
The gallery front depicts the parable of the great banquet, told in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 14, verses 16-24. The painting was created in 1974 by the artist Joël Mila.