Trehörna kyrka is a wooden church on the shore of Trehörnasjön in Östergötland, painted white to resemble stone. Though built in 1861, it was not formally consecrated until its centenary a century later — a quirk that visitors often find intriguing.
A church has stood on this site since the mid-1600s, when the parish of Trehörna was formed. The original small wooden church, clad in wooden shingles, proved too cramped for the growing congregation, and after decades of parish debate it was decided to rebuild rather than merely extend it. Local soldier and carpenter Carl Johan Fröjd took on the work, discovering that the old walls were too warped and decayed to repair. The new church was completed in time for Christmas 1861, but because permission for an entirely new building had apparently never been formally sought, no proper consecration took place until the church's centenary in 1961–62.
Unable to afford stone, the parish built in timber but modelled the new church closely on stone church design, giving it the solid, church-like proportions still visible today. The building is set attractively above the lake, within a churchyard whose origins date back to the 1640s and which is divided into three sections; many gravestones still bear old farm names rather than surnames, a reminder of local naming traditions.
Inside, the altarpiece depicting Christ being taken down from the cross is a copy of a celebrated Rubens painting, made by J. Johanzon (sometimes recorded as J. P. Johanson). Among the older furnishings is a crucifix said to date from the 1200s, normally kept locked away. The pulpit, carved in 1701 by Vadstena sculptor Lars Kindberg, survives from the earlier church and was adapted when moved into the new building. An older altar cabinet, reputedly a gift from Queen Hedvig Eleonora and originally connected to Vadstena's convent church, was broken up during renovations in 1796.
During restoration work in 1961–62, workers uncovered twelve 18th-century coffins beneath the church floor, along with older painted timber decoration on the original log framework, thought to date from the 1730s. Two of the church's three bells came from the earlier church's freestanding bell tower, demolished in 1862, while the smallest bell remains on display in the porch. The organ, built in 1939 by Olof Hammarberg, incorporates the façade of an earlier 1864 instrument.
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Ödeshögs församling
Ödeshögs församling
Trehörna kyrka is a wooden church on the shore of Trehörnasjön in Östergötland, painted white to resemble stone. Though built in 1861, it was not formally consecrated until its centenary a century later — a quirk that visitors often find intriguing.
Trehörna kyrka Trehörna Tranås
Explore this church: Trehörna 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: Blåviks kyrkaLocation and available visiting information. A fuller English guide is still to be added.
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View church details: Capella EcumenicaLocation and available visiting information. A fuller English guide is still to be added.
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View church details: Rappestads 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: 25 May 2026. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: 19016c5e-6d44-4af5-827b-dc8cb71a3b4b
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.