Ekshärads kyrka is a shingle-clad wooden church, consecrated in 1688, in the village of Ekshärad in Värmland. Regarded as a national treasure among wooden churches from Sweden's Age of Greatness, it houses objects spanning eight centuries, from a 13th-century font to late medieval carved cabinets.
The present cruciform church, built of timber and clad in red-tarred wooden shingles, was raised between 1686 and 1688 by master builder Anders Larsson Rang of Filipstad, replacing an earlier medieval timber church that once stood nearby, close to the Klarälven river. A spire was added in 1695 and fitted with copper detailing the following year. The church has a rectangular nave with a three-sided chancel to the east, a west tower with the main entrance, an attached sacristy on the north side and a porch to the south. The rounded, white-painted windows date from an 1865 renovation, during which the pulpit and old altarpiece were also restored.
Among the furnishings, the medieval font, altar cabinet and sacrament cabinet are of particular interest, alongside a series of royal portraits adorning the organ gallery, begun around the time the church was built. A textile chamber has been arranged in one of the porches, displaying items said to date back to the 13th century.
The church has an organ with a case dating from 1865, when Erik Adolf Setterquist of Örebro built the original instrument; the present pneumatic organ was constructed in 1927 by E. A. Setterquist & Son, reportedly with some later changes to its disposition. A smaller mechanical choir organ was added in 1980 by the Lindegren workshop of Gothenburg.
Ekshärad is particularly known for its wrought-iron grave crosses, fashioned in the form of trees of life with loosely hung 'singing leaves' and spikes on which painted wooden eggs were traditionally attached at certain festivals. This local craft tradition stretches from the 18th century to the present day, still practised at the nearby Stjärnsforssmedjan forge, whose smiths also contributed ironwork during the 1927 renovation, including the emblem on the church tower.
Just north of the church, on the slope down towards the Klarälven and near the site of the earlier medieval church, stand well-preserved 18th-century (or older) church stables, now used as workshops and shops for craftspeople along a traditional craft street.
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Ekshärads församling
Ekshärads församling
Ekshärads kyrka is a shingle-clad wooden church, consecrated in 1688, in the village of Ekshärad in Värmland. Regarded as a national treasure among wooden churches from Sweden's Age of Greatness, it houses objects spanning eight centuries, from a 13th-century font to late medieval carved cabinets.
Ekesbergsvägen 1
Explore this church: Ekshärads 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: Gåsborns kyrkaDals-Eds kyrka stands high beside the lake Lilla Le at the heart of its parish. The present building is thought to be the third church on this site, following two earlier stone churches, one of…
Storgatan 29, 66830, ED
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Nya vägen 16, 474 96, Nösund
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Kyrkvägen 2, Svanskog
View church details: Svanskogs 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: 5 Apr 2023. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: e32d65cd-e7de-413d-8f41-f42ba8788cff
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.