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Ödsmåls kyrka

Address
Ödsmåls kyrkväg 1, 444 95, Ödsmål
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Göteborg

Ödsmåls kyrka, in Ödsmål in Stenungsund municipality, was consecrated in 1867, replacing a medieval church that stood some 400 metres away and was demolished once the new building was ready. It belongs to Ödsmåls församling in the Diocese of Gothenburg.



The present church was built in 1865–66 to designs by Emil Edvard von Rothstein. An unusual feature of its construction is that the 55-metre tower stands to the east and the chancel to the west, the reverse of most older Swedish churches, apparently because the ground could better bear the tower's weight on that side. The building is of rendered stone with a slate-covered timber roof, and its style combines neoclassical lines with a number of medieval-inspired details.

A substantial renovation between 1932 and 1936, led by Axel Forssén, gave the church a vaulted ceiling and remodelled the pews with straight ends. Decorative paintings by Saga Walli were added in 1944–46, including the large altarpiece depicting the institution of the Eucharist and repainted decoration on the pulpit, which otherwise dates from the church's construction. Further changes came in 1971, when rooms were created beneath and above the gallery, and the interior was renovated again in 2004.

Of the older furnishings, a fifteenth-century crucifix survives from before the rebuilding. The font, carved from waterlogged oak salvaged from the island of Käringön, was made by Albert Johansson in 1901, while an older brass christening dish dates from 1712. The church bells are older still: the larger bell bears a date of 1587, though it was recast in 1843 and 1951, and the smaller bell was cast in 1953.

Painted ceiling boards from the demolished medieval church, decorated by Johan Norman in the eighteenth century, were rediscovered in the 1950s; sources differ on whether these fragments still survive today. A small burial ground beside the Ödsmålsån stream marks the site of the old church.

The organ was originally built in 1873 by Johan Nikolaus Söderling and Carl Fredrik Söderling, with the case from that year still in place, though the pipework has been altered and expanded several times since, most recently in 1963. A parish hall was built beside the church in 1991 and remains the centre of local parish activity.

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
  • Wi-Fi
  • Charging station
  • Hearing loop

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

Stenungsunds pastorat

Ödsmåls kyrka

Ödsmåls kyrka, in Ödsmål in Stenungsund municipality, was consecrated in 1867, replacing a medieval church that stood some 400 metres away and was demolished once the new building was ready. It belongs to Ödsmåls församling in the Diocese of Gothenburg.

Ödsmåls kyrkväg 1, 444 95, Ödsmål

Explore this church: Ödsmåls 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

Lindbergs kyrka

Lindbergs kyrka is a parish church in Lindberg, near Varberg in Halland, belonging to Lindberga parish in the Diocese of Gothenburg. This whitewashed neoclassical building, completed in 1853, stands on a site with a long…

Lindbergs församlingshem, 43292, Varberg

View church details: Lindbergs kyrka
Basic listing

Enslövs kyrka

Enslövs kyrka is the parish church of Enslöv, standing in the churchtown just outside the settlement of Åled in Halmstad Municipality, Halland. Built in the 1830s, it replaced an earlier medieval church destroyed by fire,…

Kyrkvägen 34, 31395, Åled

View church details: Enslövs 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: 23 Sep 2025. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 29c2c793-3362-49d8-9486-b9c929478292

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.

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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.