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Kvistofta kyrka

Address
Ryavägen 200, 253 41, Vallåkra
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Lund

Kvistofta kyrka is a medieval church in the Råån valley in Skåne, roughly eight kilometres from the river's mouth at the Öresund. Built of sandstone in the 13th century, it belongs to Kvistofta parish within the Diocese of Lund and retains striking medieval wall paintings alongside later additions.



The church was raised in Romanesque style in the 13th century, with the tower, porch and vaulting added towards the end of the medieval period. In 1779 the building was extended with north and south transepts, the tower was raised further, and the medieval porches, vaults and apse were removed; a brick floor was laid at this time.

In the porch, faded medieval wall paintings survive, including a depiction of the Wheel of Fortune, a common motif reflecting on the fleeting nature of life and the vanity of striving for power, showing figures rising, ruling and falling around the wheel. Another painting in the porch depicts the biblical story of Cain and Abel. On the west wall of the nave, faint fragments of paintings relating to the Passion of Christ can also be made out.

The altarpiece, dated to 1870, is a copy of Raphael's Transfiguration, the original of which hangs in the Vatican Museums in Rome. The pulpit, made of painted wood, dates from 1865 and has a hexagonal body resting on an octagonal pillar.

One of the church's most curious objects is the font, carved from alabaster. According to local tradition it was originally intended as a flower urn, but was washed ashore at nearby Rydebäck after the ship carrying it was wrecked in the Öresund strait.

Of the two bells, the smaller may date from the medieval period, while the larger was cast in 1731 by Andreas Wetterholtz in Malmö. The church also contains several memorial plaques commemorating former vicars of Kvistofta parish, and stained glass windows by Ralph Bergholtz dating from 1949. In the churchyard lies Gustaf Håkansson, known locally as Stålfarfar ("Steel Grandfather"), who lived to nearly 102, buried alongside his wife who reportedly lived to nearly 105.

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

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.

Kvistofta församling

Kvistofta kyrka

Kvistofta kyrka is a medieval church in the Råån valley in Skåne, roughly eight kilometres from the river's mouth at the Öresund. Built of sandstone in the 13th century, it belongs to Kvistofta parish within the Diocese of Lund and retains striking medieval wall paintings alongside later additions.

Ryavägen 200, 253 41, Vallåkra

Explore this church: Kvistofta 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

Remmarlövs kyrka

Remmarlövs kyrka is a parish church in the village of Remmarlöv in Skåne, part of the Church of Sweden's Eslöv parish within the Diocese of Lund. The present red-brick building, completed in the late nineteenth…

Remmarlövs kyrka 1, 241 92, Eslöv

View church details: Remmarlövs kyrka
Basic listing

Tosterups kyrka

Tosterups kyrka stands beside Tosterup Castle in Skåne, a modest but historically rich church whose plain exterior conceals a fascinating story of medieval origins, a 16th-century rebuilding, and remarkable painted decoration linking it to Saint…

Tosterup 201, 273 91, Tomelilla

View church details: Tosterups kyrka
Basic listing

Västerkyrkan

Västerkyrkan is a parish church on the western side of Hässleholm, in Skåne. Jointly run by the Church of Sweden's Hässleholm parish and the EFS (Evangelical National Mission) missionary society, it serves as a shared…

Drottninggatan 32, Hässleholm

View church details: Västerkyrkan

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: 27 May 2026. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 5ebe49e4-4723-4023-8de9-2b1cb13ec2ac

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.