Stångby kyrka

The church's origins lie in the twelfth century, and it is mentioned in Archbishop Absalon's testament of 1201. Its original form comprised a nave, chancel and a semicircular apse, built of dressed granite with sandstone quoins and surrounds. Traces of a Romanesque sandstone doorway and a matching window opening have been uncovered and left visible on the outer walls, giving visitors a glimpse of the medieval fabric beneath later alterations.

The building's appearance changed considerably over time. A porch on the south side was demolished in 1843 and a new entrance opened in the west gable, where a large round-arched opening was found; some scholars have suggested this may originally have been intended for a planned Romanesque west tower that was never completed. A more radical rebuilding followed in 1869–70 under the architect J.F. Åbom, whose designs are still displayed in the church. This work extended the nave westwards, added the tower that now stands at the west end, inserted the large pointed windows seen today in nave and chancel, and raised the nave walls, in the process removing the Romanesque sandstone frieze that had originally topped them. A later account records that when the west gable was taken down, the westernmost nave vault collapsed and had to be rebuilt following the pattern of the older vaulting; while the medieval detailing was lost, the church's historic character was said to have survived.

Earlier accounts give a sense of how the church looked before this transformation. An inspection in 1830 found the building notably broad and high in relation to its length, and already spacious enough for a growing congregation, with two bells hanging in a tower set, unusually, over the chancel rather than the west end. A very detailed 1843 survey describes a low porch on the south side and a slender belfry with a spire above the chancel, and discusses plans to improve the church's lighting by opening new windows. It is thought this modest chancel-top structure was not itself medieval.

Inside, the oak altarpiece dates from the sixteenth century, and the pulpit, made in the 1630s, is carved with reliefs and figures said to represent faith, hope and charity. The chancel windows, added in 1942, are the work of the artist Hugo Gehlin and depict scenes from the Old and New Testaments. An organ built in 1969 by A. Mårtensson's Orgelfabrik of Lund replaced an earlier instrument installed in 1914.