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Ganthems kyrka

Address
622 46, Romakloster
Municipality
Gotland
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Visby

Ganthems kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, part of Dalhems församling within the Diocese of Visby. Built largely of local limestone, it preserves substantial Romanesque work alongside later medieval additions, and offers visitors a compact but richly detailed example of the island's stone church tradition.



The church's oldest fabric survives in the apsidal chancel, dating from the second half of the twelfth century. In the first half of the thirteenth century the two-aisled nave and the tower were added; the nave's east gable was built west of the chancel's original west wall, creating an unusual double triumphal arch where the two building phases meet. A sacristy was added on the north side in 1930.

The exterior is dominated by a tall tower with two storeys of colonnaded sound openings and an octagonal spire. Round-arched window openings appear on the south side, one of which, above the south portal, is original to the building. Further round-arched portals pierce the tower's west wall and the south walls of both nave and chancel. Inside, the nave is covered by four cross-vaults supported on a single central column, with a so-called sound jar built into the apex of the chancel vault, a device thought to have been used to improve acoustics.

The walls carry medieval wall paintings, including a fifteenth-century Passion frieze on the north side that is said never to have been overpainted, an unusual survival compared with most Gotland churches, where later whitewashing typically obscured such decoration. The remaining paintings were uncovered in 1967. A restoration in 1966-67, following proposals by the cathedral architect Eiler Græbe, shaped much of the church's present appearance, alongside earlier changes to pews and a gallery (since removed) made in 1882.

Among the furnishings, the font dates from the twelfth century and is attributed to the so-called Hegvald group of Gotlandic stonemasons. The triumphal crucifix, in Romanesque style, dates from around 1200. The present altarpiece was made in 1901 as a copy of a fourteenth-century original that was sold to the Museum of National Antiquities, while the pulpit dates from 1655.

The organ was built in 1967 by Grönlunds Orgelbyggeri of Gammelstad; it is mechanical, with divided manual stops, and replaced an earlier harmonium used in the church.

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.

Dalhems församling

Ganthems kyrka

Ganthems kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, part of Dalhems församling within the Diocese of Visby. Built largely of local limestone, it preserves substantial Romanesque work alongside later medieval additions, and offers visitors a compact but richly detailed example of the island's stone church tradition.

622 46, Romakloster

Explore this church: Ganthems 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

Boge kyrka

Boge kyrka is a medieval church on Gotland, standing on the plain near Bogevik close to Slite. Part of the Othem-Boge parish within the Diocese of Visby, it combines thirteenth-century origins with a tower rebuilt…

BOGE ANNEX 219, 624 36, Slite

View church details: Boge kyrka
Basic listing

Bro kyrka

Bro kyrka, on Gotland roughly twelve kilometres north-east of Visby, stands on ground regarded as a sacred site since ancient times. Its pink-toned walls and blend of Romanesque and Gothic styles reward a visit, as…

Bro kyrka, BRO ANNEX 169, 621 73, Visby

View church details: Bro kyrka
Basic listing

Stenkyrka kyrka

Stenkyrka kyrka, in the parish of Stenkyrka on Gotland, is traditionally said to be the earliest church of the island's northern third, according to the medieval Gutasaga. Its long building history and rich medieval wall…

View church details: Stenkyrka kyrka
Basic listing

Näs kyrka

Näs kyrka is a medieval church on the southern tip of Gotland, standing on the narrow neck of land above Burgsviken on the island's south-western coast. Built in the later 1200s, it belongs to Havdhem…

View church details: Näs 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: 22 Jan 2025. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 815ad6ce-7f8b-4196-90aa-66aa58ca237e

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.

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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.