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Asklanda kyrka

Address
Kungsgatan 43, Vårgårda
Municipality
Vårgårda Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Skara

Asklanda kyrka is a Romanesque church of the 12th century, set within a churchyard lined by great oaks in Vårgårda, Västra Götaland. Built of sandstone, it retains much of its medieval character despite later alterations, and rewards a quiet visit.



The church was built from squared sandstone, the same material used in Skara Cathedral, and it has been suggested the stone may have been transported from Gudhem, north of Falköping, though this remains uncertain. The building consists of a nave with a narrower chancel to the east and a semicircular apse housing the sacristy. Unusually for a church of this age, the north wall of the nave has never had windows, a survival of medieval practice that is rare to see today.

The tower was added in 1897–1898 during a restoration led by architect Adrian C. Peterson, using reddish granite quarried locally and roofed with copper. At the same time, the old freestanding bell tower was demolished and its bell moved into the new tower. Inside, restorers removed a large gallery that had occupied the rear and north side of the nave, raised the ceiling, and opened the low chancel arch into a taller vault. Grave slabs covering the floor were lifted, revealing, among other finds, two Byzantine coins struck in the mid-11th century. A further restoration in 1940 attempted to reinstate older features, though the medieval wall and ceiling paintings had already been lost; the most recent renovation took place in 1999.

Among the furnishings, the sandstone font is thought to date from around 1200, carved in two parts with band ornament above and below. Its brass basin, made in Magdeburg in 1688, may have arrived in Sweden as war booty; its inscription carries a blessing associated with the Lord's Supper. The Baroque altarpiece of 1715, attributed to Michael Schmidt (recorded locally as Mikael Schmith), depicts Christ on the cross flanked by Moses and Aaron amid carved acanthus foliage.

The pulpit, in Renaissance style, dates from the second half of the 17th century. According to the Wikipedia account it was replaced by a more fashionable pulpit in 1898 before the older one was reinstated in 1941; other sources describe it simply as having been carefully renovated, so the exact sequence of events is not entirely clear. The numbered hymn boards date from 1749.

The church's single bell, hanging in the tower, is generally dated to the late medieval period, though one source describes it as medieval and lacking inscriptions while another calls it a normal late-medieval type; either way, it remains unusually resonant for its size. The organ on the west gallery was built by Tostareds Kyrkorgelfabrik in 1960 and has six stops across manual and pedal, with a sounding façade.

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.

Vårgårda pastorat

Asklanda kyrka

Asklanda kyrka is a Romanesque church of the 12th century, set within a churchyard lined by great oaks in Vårgårda, Västra Götaland. Built of sandstone, it retains much of its medieval character despite later alterations, and rewards a quiet visit.

Kungsgatan 43, Vårgårda

Explore this church: Asklanda 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

Mobackens kapell

Mobackens kapell is a small chapel near Tidaholm, in Skara diocese, built in the 1930s so local people could worship closer to home than the parish church allowed. It remains a modest, well-loved building used…

522 94, Tidaholm

View church details: Mobackens kapell
Basic listing

Vads kyrka

Vads kyrka is a parish church in Tidan, Skövde municipality, in Skara diocese. Excavations in the late 1940s revealed foundations from the late twelfth century, and the church is first recorded in 1302, when King…

Väringsvägen 26, 54931, TIDAN

View church details: Vads 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: 21 Sep 2023. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: bfaa5c9f-d12c-4b55-8122-a92324d05113

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.