Skärhamns kyrka, in the heart of Skärhamn on the island of Tjörn, was consecrated in 1932 after a fundraising effort that began over a decade earlier. Built to replace an earlier, more modest place of worship nearby, it remains a distinctive white timber church at the centre of the town.
The idea of building a proper church for Skärhamn took shape in 1919, when a committee was formed to raise funds. Progress depended heavily on voluntary effort: a newly formed sewing circle raised substantial sums year after year, and many local people contributed unpaid labour. Building work began in earnest in 1929, and within three years the church was ready for consecration by Bishop Block on the second Sunday of Advent.
Designed by the architect Axel Forssén, the church has a white-painted timber exterior and a slate roof. It follows a simple single-nave plan with a narrower, rectangular chancel to the east, a sacristy to the north, and a west tower whose ground floor serves as the porch; a staircase leads from here up to the gallery. The tower is topped with a pyramid-shaped spire, and the nave and chancel are covered by a recessed, whitewashed barrel vault.
Inside, the wooden altar is carved with vine branches and grape clusters, beneath an altarpiece by the Gothenburg artist Gunnar Ström, painted at the time the church was built. It shows Christ on the cross flanked by two mourning women. The pulpit carries inscriptions drawn from the four Gospels, and the wooden font, fitted with a brass basin, stands beside a bronze three-armed candle holder.
Among the church's furnishings are two model boats and a votive ship, a type of offering traditionally given in thanksgiving for protection at sea, often by a sailor or fisherman who had survived danger. Skärhamn's example depicts the three-masted barque Carl of Göteborg and was donated in 1932 by the Gothenburg master builder Karl Hansson, a fitting tribute in a town with strong maritime ties. Outside the church, a memorial stone erected in 1956 commemorates local seamen lost at sea.
The church has an organ in the gallery, said to date from 1941 and rebuilt in 1971, though Wikipedia's account instead records a nine-stop organ built in the chancel in 1982 by Hammarbergs Orgelbyggeri — it is not clear from the available sources whether both instruments exist side by side or whether the accounts describe the same instrument differently. For most of its history the church belonged to the Skärhamn parish association, one of only two church-association-owned churches in Sweden, until it was given to the Church of Sweden in Tjörn in autumn 2022, coinciding with the building's 90th anniversary.
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. Variations may occur. You are also welcome to visit the churches in connection with services or other activities.
At other times, you are welcome to visit the churches when a churchwarden (vaktmästare) is present; contact the parish office for more information.
Check access with the parish before travelling. Services and seasonal changes can affect visits.
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.
Parking: Up by the church there are only a few parking spaces. Please park at Skärhamns torg (square) or in the car park on Storgatan, below the Thai restaurant.
Travelling by public transport: Enter the address and search for your journey in Västtrafik's app To Go or on Västtrafik's website.
Tjörns pastorat
Tjörns pastorat
Skärhamns kyrka, in the heart of Skärhamn on the island of Tjörn, was consecrated in 1932 after a fundraising effort that began over a decade earlier. Built to replace an earlier, more modest place of worship nearby, it remains a distinctive white timber church at the centre of the town.
Kyrkvägen 8B, 471 32, SKÄRHAMN
Explore this church: Skärhamns kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
Lerum church cottage (kyrkstuga) in Lerum parish. It is located next to Lerum Church.
Kastenhofsvägen 2, 443 35, Lerum
View church details: Lerums kyrkstugaLocation and available visiting information. A fuller English guide is still to be added.
Gamla Göteborgsvägen i Holm, Halmstad
View church details: Holms kyrkaSurteby kyrka is a parish church in the village of Surteby, in Marks kommun, Västra Götaland. Part of Västra Marks parish within the Diocese of Gothenburg, the building's origins reach back to the medieval period,…
Surteby kykrka 1
View church details: Surteby kyrkaSkene kyrka is a 20th-century parish church in Skene, part of Marks kommun in Västra Götaland, belonging to Örby-Skene församling. Built as the textile town outgrew its old mother church across the river, it remains…
SKENEVÄGEN 5, 51131, ÖRBY
View church details: Skene 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: 22 Jun 2026. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: da369c03-6d90-4a4c-a991-0f6b03772df7
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.