Skip to main content

Össeby-Garns kyrka

Address
Lilla Garn 33, 18697, Brottby
Municipality
Vallentuna Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Stockholm

Össeby-Garns kyrka is a medieval stone church in Vallentuna kommun, Stockholm län, standing on a rise near Garnsviken lake. Built in the 13th century, it combines an early chancel and sacristy with a slightly later nave, and retains a notable collection of medieval fittings.



The church likely stands on the site of an earlier wooden building. Its chancel and sacristy, the oldest surviving stone parts, were built in the early 13th century, with the sacristy's brick barrel vault surviving from that period. The stone nave followed by the mid-13th century, while the chancel received its ribbed vault around 1300, its carved face-like corbels echoing similar work at Arboga's Holy Trinity church. The nave's vaults and surviving wall paintings are thought to date from the late 14th century, and the detached porch was added in the mid-15th century or later, keeping its original medieval door with ironwork.

Subsequent centuries brought numerous alterations: windows were widened in the 18th century, obscuring the medieval paintings beneath limewash, and a west gallery was built and later enlarged. A major restoration in 1926, led by architect Knut Nordenskjöld, exposed the stone walls, reworked the west entrance, and uncovered the earlier wall paintings and decorative schemes on the pulpit and gallery front. Further conservation in 1961 revealed more paintings and several consecration crosses.

Among the church's furnishings is a medieval triumphal crucifix from the 1300s, whose figure of Christ was recreated in 1926 using the fragmentary original as a model. The font's sandstone bowl, dating from the mid-13th century, is thought to have originally belonged to the now-ruined Össeby church nearby, after the two parishes merged in 1838. A late-medieval sacrament cupboard survives in the sacristy, and a wooden figure of Mary dates from the early 1500s. An altarpiece from the 1470s, depicting the crucifixion and scenes with saints, was given to the Historical Museum in 1868, so is no longer in the church itself.

The pulpit, made in 1781 by Anders Rubach of Stockholm, was later gilded and altered. Two brass chandeliers, one given in 1684 and another in 1763, still hang in the church, along with older pewter candlesticks. The present organ was built in 1926 by Åkerman & Lund, using a decorative case from 1843 originally made for an earlier instrument.

Outside, the churchyard is enclosed by a stone wall from 1765, with later extensions including a 1978 memorial grove. A detached bell tower stands on bare rock just beyond the original churchyard boundary; its date is uncertain, though a weathervane bears the numbers 1622 and 1922. Its larger bell was cast in 1810 and later recast, while the smaller bell dates from around 1500. Two rune stones, once used as threshold stones at the porch entrance, were re-erected south of the churchyard wall in 1891.

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.

Facilities & accessibility

  • Parking

Listed by the provider; availability has not been independently checked. An unlisted facility is not necessarily unavailable.

Össeby församling

Össeby-Garns kyrka

Össeby-Garns kyrka is a medieval stone church in Vallentuna kommun, Stockholm län, standing on a rise near Garnsviken lake. Built in the 13th century, it combines an early chancel and sacristy with a slightly later nave, and retains a notable collection of medieval fittings.

Lilla Garn 33, 18697, Brottby

Explore this church: Össeby-Garns 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

Vada kyrka

Vada kyrka is a small medieval church standing in the churchyard village of Vadaby, in what was once Vada parish, Uppland. It probably began as an estate church for the nearby Vada farm, and its…

VADABY 8, 186 97, Brottby

View church details: Vada kyrka
Basic listing

Västerledskyrkan

Västerledskyrkan in Äppelviken is open daily from 11.00 to 15.00. In summer 2026 the church is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. This applies during the period Monday 15 June up to and including Sunday 16…

Västerleds kyrkväg 7, 167 55, Bromma

View church details: Västerledskyrkan
Basic listing

Markims kyrka

Markims kyrka is a small Romanesque church standing on a hill near Vallentuna, north of Stockholm, in an area of farmland settled since early times. Built in the 13th century, it retains much of its…

Mathiasgården, Kyrkvägen 4

View church details: Markims 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: 27 Sep 2023. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 924f9947-534b-4ed3-b599-597639a5f621

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.