Skip to main content

Härlövs kyrka

Address
Prästgårdsv 6
Municipality
Alvesta Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Växjö

Härlövs kyrka is a small stone church in Härlöv, beside the lake Furen in Kronoberg county, roughly ten kilometres north of Alvesta. Built in the 1690s, it is often described as the county's only surviving Baroque church.



The church stands on the site of an earlier wooden church, in a village noted for its historically undivided settlement pattern. Sources differ slightly on the exact completion date, with 1695 and 1697 both cited, but it was built of grey stone with a rectangular nave and a rounded chancel to the east; a sacristy was added to the north in 1702. The original south porch was replaced by a new one on the west side in 1886, when the windows were also enlarged.

One of the most striking features is the free-standing bell tower, built in 1485 and therefore considerably older than the church itself, making it one of the oldest such structures in Sweden.

Inside, the barrel-vaulted wooden ceiling carries painted medallions attributed to Hans Brachwagen, probably from the early eighteenth century, and further decorative paintings can be seen in the sacristy. The richly carved altarpiece, made in 1713 and later renovated, frames a stained-glass window by Egil Schwab dating from 1925; carved wooden figures of Moses and Christ form part of its decoration. On the church walls, a medieval triumphal crucifix and a medieval sculpture of the Virgin and Child—said to date from the thirteenth century—survive from the earlier wooden church.

The pulpit, with its sounding board, is executed in Baroque style, and the pews form an enclosed arrangement typical of the period. A gallery balustrade is decorated with painted panels depicting various musical instruments. The church has had several organs over the centuries: an eight-stop instrument of 1752 with a Baroque case, replaced in 1892, and the current mechanical organ, built in 1968 behind the surviving eighteenth-century case front.

Opening hours

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

Additional opening information is awaiting translation. Check the official visitor-information link before travelling.

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

Alvesta församling

Härlövs kyrka

Härlövs kyrka is a small stone church in Härlöv, beside the lake Furen in Kronoberg county, roughly ten kilometres north of Alvesta. Built in the 1690s, it is often described as the county's only surviving Baroque church.

Prästgårdsv 6

Explore this church: Härlövs 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

Gränna kyrka

Gränna kyrka stands at the heart of this small lakeside town on Brahegatan, once part of the medieval Eriksgata route and later a main national road. Rebuilt after a devastating fire, it remains a distinctive…

Brahegatan

View church details: Gränna kyrka
Basic listing

Vederslövs kyrka

Vederslövs kyrka is a nineteenth-century parish church in Kronoberg, built to serve a merged congregation and standing close to its medieval predecessor. Its historicist design, blending Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival elements, makes it one…

Kinnevaldsgatan 11, 355 94, Vederslöv

View church details: Vederslövs 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: 25 May 2023. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: a34a8a61-efc3-4f08-9d30-fd7c37c93ce0

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.