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Ärla kyrka

Address
Stenkvista pastorsexpedition, 63519, Eskilstuna
Municipality
Eskilstuna Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Strängnäs

Ärla kyrka is a parish church in Stenkvista-Ärla parish in the Diocese of Strängnäs, standing some seven kilometres southwest of the village of Ärla in Eskilstuna municipality. It replaced a medieval predecessor and has served the local community since the late eighteenth century.



A medieval church once stood on or near this site but was demolished in 1783. The present building was constructed between 1782 and 1784 under the county master builder Anders Sundström the Elder, following designs by the architect Carl Waerner Priem, and was consecrated on 7 June 1789. A tower at the western end was added later, in 1845, to designs by Carl-Gustaf Blom-Carlsson. The interior is spacious, with a barrel-vaulted ceiling typical of churches of this period.

Despite the eighteenth-century rebuilding, a few furnishings survive from the earlier medieval church, giving visitors a tangible link to the site's older history. A sandstone font dates from the twelfth century, and there is also a twelfth-century processional crucifix in gilded bronze from Limoges, a striking example of medieval French metalwork finding its way into a Swedish rural church.

The pulpit was made in 1783 by Anders Lindberg of Eskilstuna, close to the time the new church was built. An older altarpiece, painted in 1791 by Lars Bolander and depicting the Descent from the Cross, now hangs on the south wall, having been superseded at the altar itself. In the 1980s new altar furnishings were created for the church, including an altarpiece, a sculpture of Christ, and altar textiles, the work of the artists Kelvin Sommer, Marita Norin and Birgitta Hagnell-Lindén.

The church has had a succession of organs: an 1849 instrument by Gustaf Andersson of Stockholm, replaced in 1913 by a larger organ from Åkerman & Lund of Sundbybergs köping, and finally the current mechanical organ, built in 1972 by the same firm, then based in Knivsta.

Opening hours

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.

Stenkvista-Ärla församling

Ärla kyrka

Ärla kyrka is a parish church in Stenkvista-Ärla parish in the Diocese of Strängnäs, standing some seven kilometres southwest of the village of Ärla in Eskilstuna municipality. It replaced a medieval predecessor and has served the local community since the late eighteenth century.

Stenkvista pastorsexpedition, 63519, Eskilstuna

Explore this church: Ärla 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

Skagershults kyrka

Skagershults kyrka is a parish church in Skagershults församling, standing on a prominent site in Hasselfors in Laxå kommun, Örebro län. The present building dates from the late nineteenth century and replaced an earlier church…

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View church details: Skagershults kyrka
Basic listing

Hölö kyrka

Hölö kyrka stands beside Kyrksjön lake in Södermanland, roughly two kilometres east of the village of Hölö and close to Tullgarn Palace. The site has been a place of worship since at least the twelfth…

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View church details: Hölö 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: 10 Jun 2022. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: ef4107b7-a0fa-40a6-bfe9-36486ba03d2b

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.