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Järbo kyrka

Address
Ockelbovägen 2, 811 95, Järbo
Municipality
Sandvikens Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Uppsala

Järbo kyrka is a timber church in the village of Järbo, in Sandviken municipality, part of Ovansjö-Järbo parish in the Diocese of Uppsala. It replaced an earlier chapel and stands as a memorial to the local community's determination to build and rebuild their own place of worship.



Until the mid-1800s, the people of Järbo had to travel more than ten kilometres to the parish church at Ovansjö. Tired of the journey, they built their own chapel at their own expense, completed in 1856, which also served as the village school. On 1 March 1860, during school hours, the chapel roof collapsed under the weight of snow, reportedly because the walls lacked sufficient anchoring. Accounts agree that the schoolroom itself, where dozens of children were having lessons, survived intact, and a local saying about the collapse is said to have entered village speech.

Work on a replacement church began at once, under builder Erik Lundin to designs by architect L. E. Åman. The first service was held there as early as Advent Sunday 1860, when the building probably consisted of little more than outer walls and a roof. Construction was finished by 1862, and the church was consecrated on 17 June 1863. Funds were raised through public appeals and church collections, and the ironworks owner Hjalmar Petre of Hammarby is remembered as a significant benefactor to both the chapel and the church.

The building is a timber-framed, three-aisled church with a chancel to the east, a tower to the west, and transepts extending from the chancel's north and south sides, the exterior clad in horizontal panelling. For years the church made do without proper bells, using steel triangles hung on posts outside; a hammer used to strike them is said to survive. Bells were finally installed in the tower in 1880, and an organ was added a few years after the church's completion, with further organ replacements following in 1905 and 1953.

The interior has changed over successive restorations. A major refurbishment in 1905 raised the chancel floor to accommodate a heating chamber, widened the organ loft and moved the pews. Electric lighting was celebrated with a special service at Easter 1914, and the church acquired its first tower clock in 1949 after a local fundraising effort. The most significant change came with the 1953 restoration, which gave the church much of its present appearance: a new heating system was installed, the canopy over the pulpit was lowered, and the two staircases to the gallery were removed, with a new staircase added in the 1990s for safety reasons.

The altarpiece, "Easter Morning" by Olle Hjortzberg, now occupies a place where stained-glass windows once stood; those windows were later moved to the christening chapel. Several decorative wood carvings and paintings were lost during restoration work, to the regret of many parishioners, along with one of four crystal chandeliers donated by Petre, said to have been reclaimed by him after a royal visit. One account suggests a chandelier later returned to the church may be the same piece, passed down through a local family, though this connection is uncertain. The church safe was unsuccessfully targeted by thieves in 1974, but in 1989 the church silver was stolen and has not been recovered; much of it has since been replaced with equivalent items.

Opening hours

Opening hours have not been confirmed for the current date. This does not mean the church is closed.

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.

Facilities & accessibility

  • Parking
  • Toilet
  • Wi-Fi
  • Hearing loop
  • Ramp
  • Accessible toilet

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.

Ovansjö-Järbo församling

Järbo kyrka

Järbo kyrka is a timber church in the village of Järbo, in Sandviken municipality, part of Ovansjö-Järbo parish in the Diocese of Uppsala. It replaced an earlier chapel and stands as a memorial to the local community's determination to build and rebuild their own place of worship.

Ockelbovägen 2, 811 95, Järbo

Explore this church: Järbo 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

Los kyrka

Los kyrka, in the village of Los in Gävleborg County, is the parish church of Los-Hamra församling within the Church of Sweden. Its plain white timber exterior and slender tower reflect a history closely tied…

Furubergsvägen 3, 82050, Los

View church details: Los kyrka
Basic listing

Gränbystaden

Gränbystaden is not a historic church building but a modern chapel space run by the Church of Sweden within the Gränbystaden shopping centre in Uppsala, offering a quiet place for reflection amid the retail surroundings.

Marknadsgatan 1, 75431, UPPSALA

View church details: Gränbystaden
Basic listing

Sävja kyrka

Sävja kyrka is a modern church in the Sävja district of Uppsala, built as a focal point for the surrounding Danmark-Funbo parish. Consecrated in 1984, it stands beside the historic Linné farmstead and combines worship…

Carl von Linnés väg 2, 75756, Uppsala

View church details: Sävja 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: 14 Jan 2026. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 7de9a5f4-eda3-4e4c-8961-0764951b651d

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.

Suggest a correction

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.