Gagnefs kyrka is a parish church beside the Österdalälven river in Dalarna, with roots going back to the late 13th or early 14th century. Visitors come for its layered building history, striking medieval altarpiece, and unusual survival of an early wooden floor.
The first church on this site was a timber building, thought to date from the late 1200s or early 1300s; traces of its foundation were found during a 1916 renovation and parts of it still underlie today's structure. The church was enlarged repeatedly during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, and between 1766 and 1771 it was substantially rebuilt, with the old walls demolished and new ones raised to give roughly the appearance seen today. The tower's lantern was added in 1828 and its clock in 1853; the nave received a copper roof in 1963, replacing wooden shingles.
One remarkable claim associated with the church concerns a medieval wooden floor, said to date from the 1290s, allegedly rediscovered beneath later flooring in the parish rectory barn and dated by tree-ring analysis. According to this account, the floor lay in the church for nearly five centuries before being removed during rebuilding in 1774, and would now rank among Sweden's few surviving medieval timber floors. This story appears only in one source and could not be corroborated, so it is worth treating with some caution.
Inside, the altarpiece is a triptych from the late 15th century, probably made in Sweden following a German model and restored in 1892. Its central scene depicts the Throne of Grace, a Trinitarian image showing God the Father holding the cross with Christ, above whom the Holy Spirit descends as a dove; other figures include Paul, Peter and Mary Magdalene. The chancel windows, created in 1954 by artist Anders Gabrielsson, carry biblical texts about children and those who labour, while a lunette window between them was coloured during the 1916 renovation overseen by architect Rudolf Arborelius. Local artist Ottilia Adelborg contributed glass paintings for the choir and a predella beneath the altarpiece, and one source also credits her with a large oil painting of St George and the dragon, given to the parish in 1929.
The font's history is unclear: one source describes a sandstone font carved in 1979 by Erik Sand, noting that an earlier font was moved to Mockfjärds kyrka, while another source refers to an angel-shaped font from the 1700s, nicknamed the "Kristningspojken" (the christening boy), which was returned to use after a 2017 renovation. These two accounts do not obviously match, and it is not certain how many fonts the church has had or which is currently in use. The pulpit, in Gustavian style, was made by Hans Mohson in 1789. The church's organ dates from 1947, built by Åkerman & Lund, retaining an older façade from 1885.
Opening hours have not been confirmed for the current date. This does not mean the church is closed.
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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.
Gagnefs pastorat
Gagnefs pastorat
Gagnefs kyrka is a parish church beside the Österdalälven river in Dalarna, with roots going back to the late 13th or early 14th century. Visitors come for its layered building history, striking medieval altarpiece, and unusual survival of an early wooden floor.
Kyrkbyvägen 35, 780 41, Gagnef
Explore this church: Gagnefs kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
Location and available visiting information. A fuller English guide is still to be added.
View church details: HögståsenHörkens kyrka stands in the former mining settlement of Hörken, in the northern part of Ljusnarsberg parish in Örebro county. Consecrated in December 1925, this timber church is a distinctive example of early twentieth-century Swedish…
Hörken 173, 772 94, Grängesberg
View church details: Hörkens kyrkaLocation and available visiting information. A fuller English guide is still to be added.
Hällvägen 11, 77140, Ludvika
View church details: LillkyrkanLocation and available visiting information. A fuller English guide is still to be added.
Kyrkogårdsgatan 4, 714 35, Kopparberg
View church details: Ljusnarsbergs 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: 18 Jul 2026. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: 64a2477b-e3c9-4ff8-b56a-bac8ab114e0f
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.