Skip to main content

Stenkyrka kyrka

Address
Stenkyrkovägen 32, 471 93, KÅLLEKÄRR
Municipality
Tjörns Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Göteborg

Stenkyrka kyrka is the largest church on the island of Tjörn and has long been regarded as its main church. It is not known when the first church was built here, though a place of worship is believed to have stood on the site since the early medieval period. The present building dates from 1843.



The current church replaced an earlier medieval building, thought to date from the 13th century, which was demolished to make way for it. It was built in a simplified Karl Johan style typical of Bohuslän, to designs by Johan Carlberg, and constructed by local master builders. The church has a long nave, a three-sided chancel and an attached west tower with a flat-topped spire.

The wooden altar dates from the same period as the church and is dominated by a large gilded cross with a crown of thorns, set against a painted depiction of Jerusalem (sources differ, with one account describing the backdrop as a marbled panel symbolising Christ's tomb rather than a view of Jerusalem). Above it appears the Trinity symbol, a triangle inscribed with the Hebrew word for 'I am'. The wooden pulpit was made for the 1843 church, though its carved figures and decoration are said to come from an earlier pulpit, possibly from the medieval church it replaced.  

The most treasured object is the font, carved from soapstone in the 12th century and decorated with plaited ornament; it is attributed to a workshop associated with the medieval carvers Sven and Torbjörn. Its brass christening bowl, donated in 1966, is engraved with an image of a mother carrying her child to baptism. The two bells both came from the older church: the smaller is medieval, possibly as early as the 13th century, and is counted among the oldest bells in Bohuslän, while the larger dates from 1767.// A more recent addition is a baptism tree, inaugurated in 2013, on which a leaf is hung for each child christened.//

The church also holds a 1703 edition of the Bible associated with King Karl XII, notable for its detailed illustrations. A model ship hanging in the nave, dating from 1955, depicts a steel full-rigged merchant vessel; such votive ships were traditionally donated by sailors or fishermen who had survived peril at sea, and are often understood as a symbol of the church carrying the faithful safely to a further shore. Other furnishings of note include a gallery balustrade painted in 2002 by the Danish artist Bodil Kaalund, and a woven chancel carpet by textile artist Agda Österberg, acquired in 1960. The church's twenty-stop organ was built in 1962 by Nils Hammarberg and renovated in 1990.

Opening hours

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

Visit a church this summer.

From 23 June to 14 August, the churches on Tjörn are open for individual visits Tuesday to Friday, 10:00–16:00. Deviations may occur. You can also visit the churches in connection with a service or other activity.

At other times, you are welcome to visit the churches when a caretaker is present; contact the office to find out more.

Check access with the parish before travelling. Services and seasonal changes can affect visits.

Facilities & accessibility

  • Parking
  • Toilet
  • Charging station
  • Hearing loop

Listed by the provider; availability has not been independently checked. An unlisted facility is not necessarily unavailable.

Travel by public transport: Enter the address and search for your journey in Västtrafik's app To Go or on Västtrafik's website.

Accessibility

The entrance to the church is at ground level.

Tjörns pastorat

Stenkyrka kyrka

Stenkyrka kyrka is the largest church on the island of Tjörn and has long been regarded as its main church. It is not known when the first church was built here, though a place of worship is believed to have stood on the site since the early medieval period. The present building dates from 1843.

Stenkyrkovägen 32, 471 93, KÅLLEKÄRR

Explore this church: Stenkyrka 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

Skummeslövs kyrka

Skummeslövs kyrka is one of Halland's oldest and best-preserved medieval churches, believed to have been built in the 12th century on a site with traces of activity stretching back to the Stone Age. Standing near…

Strandvägen 39, 31205, Skottorp

View church details: Skummeslövs kyrka
Basic listing

Gunnarsjö kyrka

Gunnarsjö kyrka is a parish church standing on a hilltop in Gunnarsjö, in Varbergs kommun, visible from a distance across the surrounding countryside. It now belongs to Veddige-Kungsäters församling in the Diocese of Gothenburg.

Nygatan 18

View church details: Gunnarsjö kyrka
Basic listing

Kärra kyrka

Kärra kyrka is a wooden church in the Kärra district of Gothenburg, on the island of Hisingen, belonging to Tuve-Säve parish. Built in the early 1920s, it has sometimes been described as one of Hisingen's…

Kärra Kapellväg 4, 425 30, Hisings Kärra

View church details: Kärra 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: 22 Jun 2026. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: a214f3b6-2694-4fb6-9871-da301d9900e1

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.