Härkeberga kyrka stands on a low ridge amid an area rich in ancient remains, a mile or so north-east of Enköping. Most of the present church dates from the early 1300s, though it owes its fame to a later addition: some of Sweden's finest surviving medieval wall paintings.
The church is a medieval hall church of stone and brick. Its nave, chancel and sacristy were built between about 1280 and 1310, with the porch added around 1475–1480. Towards the end of the fifteenth century the vaults were raised and decorated with the paintings for which the church is chiefly known, created around the 1480s and attributed on stylistic grounds to the celebrated church painter Albertus Pictor.
What makes these paintings unusual is their state of preservation: the vault scenes were never painted over and survive largely as originally executed, while the wall paintings, covered over in the eighteenth century, were uncovered again in 1935–1936, though damaged. The scheme draws heavily on the Biblia Pauperum, the illustrated "poor man's Bible", with roughly a third of the scenes said to take their inspiration from it. Subjects range from Old Testament episodes such as Joseph sold by his brothers and Daniel in the lions' den to New Testament scenes and the Last Judgement, spread across the porch, western vault, central vault and chancel vault.
In the porch, look for the scene of the Mass of Saint Gregory, where a figure to the right is thought to be a self-portrait of Albertus Pictor himself — a similar signed self-portrait appears in Lid church. Nearby are Saint George and the Dragon and a wheel of fortune, sometimes called the Wheel of Life.
Among the furnishings is a triumphal crucifix dating from the mid-1300s, older than most of the painted decoration around it. The pews, fitted in 1755, carry carved marks and a couple of scratched dates from the seventeenth century, while the pulpit, in Gustavian style, was made in 1791 by the court sculptor Jean Baptiste Masreliez. The organ loft was built in 1773, and the current organ dates from 1811 (some sources say 1813), incorporating later rebuilding.
West of the church stands a former parsonage, now owned by the Nordic Museum. In 2025 the wall paintings were included among works named to Sweden's cultural canon, a mark of their standing among the country's medieval art.
Provider-listed schedule, applicable on 12 Oct 2026. All times are local to Sweden.
| Monday | Not listed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Not listed |
| Wednesday | Not listed |
| Thursday | Not listed |
| Friday | Not listed |
| Saturday | 10:00–16:00 |
| Sunday | 10:00–16:00 |
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.
Listed by the provider; availability has not been independently checked. An unlisted facility is not necessarily unavailable.
A listed ramp does not confirm step-free access throughout the building.
Enköpings pastorat
Enköpings pastorat
Härkeberga kyrka stands on a low ridge amid an area rich in ancient remains, a mile or so north-east of Enköping. Most of the present church dates from the early 1300s, though it owes its fame to a later addition: some of Sweden's finest surviving medieval wall paintings.
Härkeberga kyrka, 74596, Enköping
Explore this church: Härkeberga 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.
Almerska vägen 6, 76334, Hallstavik
View church details: Kyrkans hus, HallstavikLocation and available visiting information. A fuller English guide is still to be added.
Bindarvägen 10, 74381, Bälinge
View church details: Ebeneser kapellLövgrunds kapell is a small fishing chapel on the island of Lövgrund in the Gävle archipelago, off the coast of Gävle in Gästrikland. Built for the local fishing community, it remains a modest but characterful…
805 95, Gävle
View church details: Lövgrunds kapellEkeby kyrka is a parish church in Ekeby, between Gimo and Alunda in Uppland, forming part of Gimo pastorat. Its stone building replaced an earlier medieval timber church and retains striking early sixteenth-century ceiling paintings…
UPPSALAVÄGEN 21, 74742, GIMO
View church details: Ekeby 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: 13 May 2026. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: 72547d57-c213-415f-b9dd-9d329a82bee3
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.