Brunflo kyrka stands above the village of Brunflo in Jämtland, its yellow-washed walls a striking sight against winter snow. Beside the church rises an unusually tall medieval kastal, a rare survival that marks this as a place of long-standing significance in the region.
The present church was built between 1770 and 1775 by the diocesan master builders Daniel Hagman and Per Hagmansson of Sundsvall, replacing an earlier cruciform stone church dedicated to Saint Olof that had stood on the site since the 1100s. According to an account recorded shortly before its demolition, that earlier church was said to be the only cross-shaped stone church of its kind in the country, built of smooth limestone, and its unusual status has led to theories that the archbishop himself may have been responsible for its construction. The site also lay on a pilgrim route running from Selånger to Nidaros.
Inside, the altar structure and pulpit were made by Johan Edler in the Gustavian style in the years following the church's 1775 consecration; the pulpit, completed in 1786, depicts Jesus and the sleeping disciples at Gethsemane. Behind the altar is a painted architectural perspective with gilding, added around 1790–92. The altarpiece itself is attributed to the Jämtland artist Pehr Sundin and is said to have been donated around 1800. Both entrance doors show carved rococo tendrils and angel heads. Among the older furnishings, a sandstone font attributed to the Gotland master Sighraf, active around 1170–1215, survives from the medieval church that once stood here.
The most distinctive feature at Brunflo is the kastal beside the church, a stone tower dated to the later part of the 1100s, roughly 16.5 metres high with a 9 by 9 metre base and a later wooden cap. Such towers are very rare in northern Sweden, and this is one of only two known in Jämtland, the other being a partly ruined example at Sunne church; their presence suggests that the district held considerable importance in the Middle Ages. The kastal is thought to have served as a storehouse for goods and taxes in kind owed to the archbishop, as a defensive refuge in troubled times, and today houses the church bells, the oldest cast in Stockholm in 1665.
In the churchyard stands a gravestone dated 1704, raised in memory of a land surveyor who died suddenly in Brunflo in the 1640s.
Opening hours have not been confirmed for the current date. This does not mean the church is closed.
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.
Toilet: The church has a toilet adapted for disabled visitors.
The church can be accessed by wheelchair.
Induction loop: The church has an induction loop.
Brunflo församling
Brunflo församling
Brunflo kyrka stands above the village of Brunflo in Jämtland, its yellow-washed walls a striking sight against winter snow. Beside the church rises an unusually tall medieval kastal, a rare survival that marks this as a place of long-standing significance in the region.
Kyrkvägen 36, 83496, BRUNFLO
Explore this church: Brunflo kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
The parish hall houses the parish office and most of the parish's activities.
Jättestagatan 13, 872 34 Kramfors
View church details: Gudmundrå församlingsgårdHållängets kyrka and Hållängets skola are located in the same building. This was built in 1993 as a collaboration between Själevads församling and Örnsköldsviks kommun. Hållängets skola houses childcare provision as well as primary and…
Hörnettsvägen 66, 892 51, DOMSJÖ
View church details: Hållängets kyrkaYtterhogdals kyrka is the parish church of Ytterhogdal, in Härjedalens pastorat, standing on Kyrknäset within a landscape historically known as Hälsingland despite lying in present-day Härjedalens kommun. Its stone structure and painted interior reward a…
Kyrkvägen 15, Ytterhogdal
View church details: Ytterhogdals kyrkaA mission church (missionskyrka) in the centre of the village of Hemling. Services are held approximately once a month in cooperation with the Hemling mission association (Hemlings missionsförening).
897 91, Långviksmon
View church details: Hemlings missionskyrkaSources, 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: 28 Jul 2026. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: 78004057-1dc9-477d-be50-0b1029be26db
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.