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Edshults kyrka

Address
Edshult 1, Edshult
Municipality
Eksjö Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Linköping

Edshults kyrka is a parish church in Hult-Edshults församling, near Eksjö in Småland, Sweden. Built in the 1830s to replace a medieval predecessor, it stands close to the site of the old Edshult manor estate church.



The present church was constructed between 1836 and 1838 to the south of Edshult manor (säteri), replacing a medieval wooden church that had stood since perhaps as early as the 1200s or 1300s. It is built of stone, in a neoclassical style, with a tower and sacristy. Inside, pale grey walls and large round-arched windows give the church a light, airy character. Above the altar hangs an altarpiece painted by Ludvig Frid in 1877.

The earlier medieval church, originally a three-aisled timber building serving as the manor's private chapel, was known for rich painted decoration from the first half of the 14th century. Shortly after the new church opened, the old building was demolished and its materials and furnishings were sold at auction, scattering the pulpit, altar rail, paintings and sculptures across the surrounding district. A medieval Madonna sculpture of northern French origin, once part of the old church, was later rescued and is now held by the Swedish History Museum, regarded as one of the finest surviving works of its kind from the 14th century. Other fittings met humbler fates: painted planks were reused in stable stalls and a poorhouse woodshed, the altar rail became a pigsty fence, and the pulpit reportedly ended up as a henhouse or dog kennel.

A model of the old shingle-clad timber church can be found in a meadow outside the current churchyard, on the other side of the road, giving visitors a sense of what once stood nearby. About 100 metres to the south-west of the old church site are the remains of a defensive stronghold, Edshult's borg.

Inside the present church, a smaller worship space seating around 90 was created in the eastern part of the building in the mid-1950s. It houses a restored altar cabinet from the old church, along with a painted panel also rescued from the earlier building, and a large iron-bound chest once used to store the church silver.

Among the furnishings is an oak altar cabinet with limewood fittings dating from the early 16th century, of unrecorded authorship, along with a bridal chair (brudstol) preserved from the old church and a brass font dated 1672. The church also has two organs of note: a mechanical organ built in 1843 by Sven Nordström, later restored in 1997, and a smaller positive organ built in 1879, originally likely a domestic instrument, which has been modified and renovated several times since.

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.

Hult-Edshults församling

Edshults kyrka

Edshults kyrka is a parish church in Hult-Edshults församling, near Eksjö in Småland, Sweden. Built in the 1830s to replace a medieval predecessor, it stands close to the site of the old Edshult manor estate church.

Edshult 1, Edshult

Explore this church: Edshults kyrka

Church information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.

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Basic listing

Skärkinds kyrka

Skärkinds kyrka, in Skärkind parish east of Linköping, is a nineteenth-century church built to replace a medieval predecessor that had grown too small for its congregation. Its story combines classical origins, a devastating fire, and…

Skärkinds kyrkoplan

View church details: Skärkinds 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: 6 Jan 2025. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: e649221d-ef4b-4a41-8857-7b497d7c4eb6

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.