Ale-Skövde kyrka is a parish church in Lödöse församling, part of Skepplanda pastorate in Västra Götaland. Rebuilt in the mid-eighteenth century on medieval foundations, it is notable chiefly for its painted wooden ceiling and well-preserved rococo interior.
The present church largely dates from a thorough rebuilding in 1754, when the medieval church on the site was extended northwards and given a three-sided chancel. Only part of the older south wall was retained. The building has stone walls, a nave with chancel, and a west tower, with a sacristy added to the north side and a hipped, tiled roof over the chancel.
The most striking feature for visitors is the barrel-vaulted wooden ceiling, painted in 1769 by Richard Törner of Gothenburg — the only ceiling painting known to be his work. It shows enlarged biblical scenes set within eight rococo-style painted frames, with blue ornamented panels between them, and a painted draped curtain behind the altar supported by putti. Unusually for the period, the scenes include a notable number of women. The painting has never been overpainted, though it was restored in 1882.
The church tower was rebuilt in the 1770s, replacing an earlier wooden tower from 1754, with a stone lower section and timber upper stage. Later alterations included enlarged windows and gallery in 1872, and a 1932 renovation that removed a porch and altered the interior partition near the old sacristy. Further changes came in 1950, when the chancel floor was raised and new pews made to older patterns, and around 1960 a new sacristy was built to the north, replacing an earlier one to the south.
Among the furnishings is a sandstone font dating from the thirteenth century, considerably older than the rest of the church. The altarpiece and number boards were carved in 1758 by the Gothenburg sculptor Jean Samuelsson, and the pulpit, with its five-sided body, is dated to 1720 and possibly the work of Johan Mentz Scheffer. A gallery breastplate attributed on stylistic grounds to Törner depicts Christ and the twelve apostles across thirteen painted fields.
The church has had several organs: an 1879 instrument by Salomon Molander, replaced in 1940 by one from Grönvalls orgelbyggeri, and the current organ, built in 1995 by Tostareds Kyrkorgelfabrik, which incorporates some pipework from the 1879 instrument.
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Lödöse församling
Lödöse församling
Ale-Skövde kyrka is a parish church in Lödöse församling, part of Skepplanda pastorate in Västra Götaland. Rebuilt in the mid-eighteenth century on medieval foundations, it is notable chiefly for its painted wooden ceiling and well-preserved rococo interior.
Skövdevägen 154, 463 96, Nygård
Explore this church: Ale-Skövde kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
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View church details: Ubbhults kapellSources, 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: 25 Sep 2023. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: 170ca514-ea95-496c-8ac0-561feafc6bad
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.