Borgstena kyrka is a medieval parish church in Västra Götaland, in the northern part of Borås kommun, part of Fristads församling in Skara stift. Its oldest parts date from the 1100s, though the building took its present form in 1753.
The church stands on a hill beside the road just east of Borgstena village. It began as a small stone building, probably in the 12th or possibly 13th century, and was substantially enlarged in 1753, when it was extended southwards and eastwards and given larger windows. Much of the Baroque interior dates from the 1770s and survives largely unchanged, including a painted ceiling and apostle images on the gallery front attributed to the artist Ditlof Ross.
The church's most remarkable object is its font, carved from sandstone in the later 12th century. Richly decorated with scenes including the Tree of Knowledge and Adam and Eve, and bearing an as-yet undeciphered runic inscription, it is considered one of the most expressive Romanesque fonts in the Västergötland region, showing possible English stylistic influence. The original was removed to the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm in 1870 after suffering weather damage while it stood outdoors; the font now in the church is a concrete cast made for the parish in 1952. The accompanying font dish is thought to date from the 15th century.
Other furnishings include an altarpiece depicting the Crucifixion, painted in 1766 by an unrecorded artist, its frame donated by a local naval officer and his wife whose coat of arms appears at its base. A 17th-century pulpit, carved by an unknown craftsman, is decorated with figures of the four evangelists and Christ, and an older altarpiece together with two carved wooden figures, restored in 1956, hang nearby. Enclosed pews with decorative wrought-iron fastenings and a sundial dated 1692 on the exterior wall add further points of interest.
A short distance from the church stands a separate wooden bell tower, possibly built in 1851, with red-painted panelling and an oak-shingle roof. It houses two undated late-medieval bells. A slate-roofed lychgate and wrought-iron gate lead into the old churchyard.
The church organ, built in 1967 by Nordfors & Co, stands on the west gallery and incorporates some older pipework in its pedal division.
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Fristads församling
Fristads församling
Borgstena kyrka is a medieval parish church in Västra Götaland, in the northern part of Borås kommun, part of Fristads församling in Skara stift. Its oldest parts date from the 1100s, though the building took its present form in 1753.
Länsvägen 3, 513 97, Borgstena
Explore this church: Borgstena kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
Hasslösa kyrka is a parish church in the village of Hasslösa, near Lidköping in Västra Götaland, part of the Church of Sweden's diocese of Skara. The present building, completed in the 1890s, replaced an earlier…
Sävare församlingshem
View church details: Hasslösa kyrkaLocation and available visiting information. A fuller English guide is still to be added.
Vävaregatan 2, 531 44, Lidköping
View church details: Ljusets kapellKvinnestads kyrka is a medieval stone church east of Vårgårda, standing near Kvinnestadsjön where it would once have been reachable by both road and water. Now part of Asklanda parish in the Diocese of Skara,…
Kungsgatan 43
View church details: Kvinnestads kyrkaHössna kyrka is a nineteenth-century parish church near Ulricehamn in Västergötland, built in 1839 to replace a medieval predecessor. It stands within a preserved historic setting of old schoolhouse, vicarage and manor, and retains several…
View church details: Hössna kyrkaSources, 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: 17 Jun 2025. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: bf429cb6-7934-4238-bf4c-370849561ff4
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.