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Kimstads kyrka

Address
Nya Rådstugugatan 7
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Linköping

Kimstads kyrka, in the village of Kimstad south-west of Norrköping, is considered one of Sweden's most striking baroque churches, though its origins reach back to the medieval period. Its most distinctive feature is the pair of horsemen figures on the roof ridge, said in legend to represent two princes who fought for the crown.



A church has stood on this site since at least the 11th or 12th century, and a fragment of a carved gravestone lid from that era, now built into the chancel wall, points to an early Christian presence here. The present building was begun in the late 1720s at the expense of the widowed countess Agneta Wrede, who had the older church demolished, though she died in 1730 before the work was finished. Her son-in-law, Magnus Julius de la Gardie, saw the church completed in 1733, with the first service held the following year; the tower's curved spire was not finished until the 1770s.

The church's history is closely tied to nearby Löfstad Slott, an aristocratic estate whose owners were granted patronage rights over the church in 1699, giving them influence over the appointment of its clergy. Members of the Lillie family, long-time owners of Löfstad, are buried in a mortuary chapel and in a crypt beneath the chancel floor, while the later Piper family, the estate's final owners, have graves in the churchyard to the south. A carved portal at the north entrance, bearing the arms of Axel Lillie and Christina Mörner, is thought to date from the 1650s and was originally positioned further east.

The two metal horsemen on the roof ridge are the church's best-known feature. Local tradition links them to a duel between two rival claimants to the throne around 1060, though other versions of the story exist, including tales of a race or a dispute over a woman; the figures were originally made of wood and replaced in metal during the 19th century. A runestone stands in the churchyard, and its inscription is regarded as clear evidence that Christianity had already taken hold in the region by the time it was carved.//

Opening hours

Opening hours have not been confirmed for the current date. This does not mean the church is closed.

Additional opening information is awaiting translation. Check the official visitor-information link before travelling.

Check access with the parish before travelling. Services and seasonal changes can affect visits.

Facilities & accessibility

  • Parking
  • Toilet
  • Hearing loop

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

Norrköpings Borgs församling

Kimstads kyrka

Kimstads kyrka, in the village of Kimstad south-west of Norrköping, is considered one of Sweden's most striking baroque churches, though its origins reach back to the medieval period. Its most distinctive feature is the pair of horsemen figures on the roof ridge, said in legend to represent two princes who fought for the crown.

Nya Rådstugugatan 7

Explore this church: Kimstads kyrka

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

Other churches in the same diocese

Basic listing

Asby kyrka

Asby kyrka is a parish church in Ydre kommun, Östergötland, part of Norra Ydre församling within the Diocese of Linköping. Likely built in the 1200s, it stands south of Lake Sommen and shows the layered…

Asby kyrka 1, 57377, Ydre

View church details: Asby kyrka
Basic listing

Lillkyrkan

Lillkyrkan is a modest district church in Motala, standing beside the Göta Canal near the Borenshult locks. Built in 1957, it replaced an earlier parish church that had been demolished decades before, leaving the area…

Borensvägen 42, 591 45, Motala

View church details: Lillkyrkan
Basic listing

Gryts kyrka

Gryts kyrka stands on Kyrkön, an island once fully encircled by water, in the parish of Gryt in Östergötland. This light, spacious church, dating from the very end of the 18th century, replaced a medieval…

Klockaruddsvägen 3, 610 42, Gryt

View church details: Gryts kyrka
Basic listing

Lambohovskyrkan

Lambohovskyrkan stands at the heart of Lambohov, a district of Linköping, built in 1987 to the shape of Noah's Ark — a symbol of shelter and rescue from the world's turmoil. It is a shared…

Tröskaregatan 41, 58333, Linköping

View church details: Lambohovskyrkan

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: 28 May 2025. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 896bfaf5-0839-4afa-bd44-9148e2917fde

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.