Lidingö kyrka, standing on a hill south of Kyrkviken on the island of Lidingö near Stockholm, is the oldest church in Lidingö parish. Consecrated in 1623, it retains striking seventeenth-century wall paintings and a history closely tied to the Banér family of nearby Djursholm.
The stone church built in 1623 replaced an earlier wooden chapel, thought to date from the late 1400s or early 1500s, dedicated to Saint Anna. This origin survives in the name of the parish hall, S:ta Annagården, and in an inscription on a communion chalice donated in 1702 referring to 'St. Anna Capell'. The church was commissioned by Svante Gustafsson Banér and his wife Ebba Grip of Djursholm Castle, whose family retained patronage rights over the parish for generations.
Originally much smaller, at only 13 by 8 metres, the church had a windowless north wall to reduce winter cold. It has been altered repeatedly: extended westward by six metres in 1756, when a gallery was added and the chancel wall rebuilt with three window openings; given windows on the north side in the 1870s; and remodelled again in 1913, when the east wall was opened to form the present triumphal arch. The wall paintings, dating largely from the 1600s, had been whitewashed over during the eighteenth century before later restoration; the evangelist symbols on the chancel wall were added in 1913.
Ebba Grip took a particular interest in the church's affairs, and in the seventeenth century donated the Grönsta estate to provide a residence for a resident priest, a role it still serves today. Before this, Lidingö relied on a priest rowed over from Djursholm for services.
Among the furnishings, the font, dating from the 1770s, features a carved and gilded wooden angel supporting the basin — curiously depicted with two right hands. The pulpit, in Gustavian style, was carved in 1779 by Per Ljung, replacing an earlier one from 1623 considered outdated and unsafe. The altar and altarpiece, in Rococo style, were given to the church during the 1756 renovation and depict the Crucifixion.
The white-painted timber bell tower was donated in 1817 by the industrialist Lars Fresk, reportedly to mark the marriage of his friend Samuel Owen in the church that year. A sacristy built in 1867 was destroyed by fire in 1969 and rebuilt in its present form in 1972. The church's organ has been rebuilt or replaced several times since the nineteenth century, with the current instrument installed in 1985.
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Lidingö församling
Lidingö församling
Lidingö kyrka, standing on a hill south of Kyrkviken on the island of Lidingö near Stockholm, is the oldest church in Lidingö parish. Consecrated in 1623, it retains striking seventeenth-century wall paintings and a history closely tied to the Banér family of nearby Djursholm.
Kyrkallén 4, 181 42, Lidingö
Explore this church: Lidingö kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
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View church details: Huddinge kyrkaSources, credits and English adaptations are identified on each church page. Provider data: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0.
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 Jul 2025. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: e27112bf-8e14-4d9c-84e6-3ed47eaea1a3
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.