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Varv och Styra kyrka

Address
Varv 206, 591 94, Motala
Municipality
Motala Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Linköping

Varv och Styra kyrka is a parish church in Varv, Östergötland, within the Diocese of Linköping. Built in a historicist mixed style to designs by architect Johan Adolf Hawerman, it was founded in 1859 and taken into use in 1861, replacing two older churches that had served the district.



Before the present building, the district was served by two separate churches: the medieval Varv church, dating from the 1100s and now entirely gone, and Styra church, a tower-less limestone building from the 1200s that was demolished in 1861. The foundation of the current church was laid in the autumn of 1859, and it opened for worship on the first Sunday of Advent in 1861. During construction, services were held first in the old Styra church and, after its demolition, in the local schoolhouse.

The church is built in a historicist mixed style, combining a nave with a straight-ended chancel wall and a five-sided sacristy behind it to the east. The west tower is topped with a neo-Gothic spire, and its paired sound openings show Romanesque-inspired detailing.

Inside, the church follows a hall-church layout beneath a panelled wooden ceiling. The chancel is dominated by an altarpiece depicting the Transfiguration of Christ, painted in 1862 by Johan Zacharias Blackstadius. The hexagonal pulpit with its sounding board, along with the enclosed pews and organ gallery, all date from the same period as the church itself.

Notable survivals from the medieval Varv church include a crucifix and an altar cabinet, both dated to the 1400s, which have been preserved within the present building.

The church's first organ was built in 1862 by Daniel Wallenström of Uppsala, with 15 stops; it was later altered in 1958. That historic organ case is said to survive in storage within the church, though its current condition and accessibility are not confirmed. The organ in use today was built in 1982 by Lindh Orgel of Umeå, an electric instrument retaining the 1862 façade.

The churchyard is the burial place of Mauritz Björck, though further biographical detail was not available in the sources consulted.

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

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

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Varv och Styra kyrka

Varv och Styra kyrka is a parish church in Varv, Östergötland, within the Diocese of Linköping. Built in a historicist mixed style to designs by architect Johan Adolf Hawerman, it was founded in 1859 and taken into use in 1861, replacing two older churches that had served the district.

Varv 206, 591 94, Motala

Explore this church: Varv och Styra kyrka

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

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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: 24 Oct 2025. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 1b17b201-644a-4201-b6f8-5d290e5ee4d0

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.