Östra Kärrstorps kyrka, in the village of the same name in Skåne, is a parish church of Vollsjö parish within the Church of Sweden. Completed in 1846 on the site of a medieval predecessor, it holds an unusually old font and a striking, if only partly resolved, local wartime legend.
The present church replaced an earlier medieval building, and its tower was retained until around 1860, when the church was lengthened and a new tower added. Some stone from the older structure is thought to have been reused in the new building.
A now-lost inscribed tablet from the old church recorded a grim tradition: that in 1644 a large number of local people were killed nearby at Borst by Swedish troops. According to one account, some 300 Swedish cavalry were confronted by several hundred armed farmers from Färs district, equipped with scythes, axes and borrowed cannon, and that the farmers were defeated and killed after their cannon were seized. Local legend holds that the dead were buried in a mass grave in the Borstbäck valley, but archaeological investigation of the battlefield has not located any such grave, so the story remains unverified tradition rather than established fact.
The font is the church's most notable furnishing. Carved from sandstone, it is attributed by some sources to the twelfth-century Gotland stonemason Calcarius, working around 1225, and is considered unmatched elsewhere in this part of Skåne. Its reliefs depict the legends of Saint Hubertus and Saint Eustace, both associated with hunters, showing a stag revealing a crucifix between its antlers to the awestruck huntsman.//The pulpit dates from the seventeenth century and is carved with figures of men and women, interspersed with fruit and stylised grinning faces.
The altarpiece, painted in 1916 by the Lund artist Fredrik Krebs, depicts Christ's encounter with the rich man from the Gospel of Mark. Krebs is remembered for having concealed images of the Hindu deity Shiva within paintings in several Skåne churches, including Knästorp, Tottarp and Bjällerup, though this motif is not recorded here. Sources differ slightly on other furnishings: one account describes a medieval crucifix above the altar, while another mentions a gilded wooden cross of hawthorn with a carved acacia-wood figure of Christ, made for the church from timber grown at the former rectory.
The church's pneumatic organ was built in 1916 by A. Mårtensson's organ workshop in Lund, replacing an 1874 instrument built in Copenhagen.
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.
Vollsjö församling
Vollsjö församling
Östra Kärrstorps kyrka, in the village of the same name in Skåne, is a parish church of Vollsjö parish within the Church of Sweden. Completed in 1846 on the site of a medieval predecessor, it holds an unusually old font and a striking, if only partly resolved, local wartime legend.
Explore this church: Östra Kärrstorps kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
Location and available visiting information. A fuller English guide is still to be added.
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View church details: Sankta Gertruds kyrkoruinSources, 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: 13 May 2024. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: c3dfcd18-b343-42aa-b0a6-f3bdd9e407ce
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.