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Färlövs kyrka

Address
Önnestadsvägen 1, 291 75, Färlöv
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Lund

Färlövs kyrka, in the village of Färlöv northwest of Kristianstad in Skåne, is notable for its unusual twin towers, a rare feature among Sweden's early medieval churches. The stone building dates from the 1180s, though local tradition points to an earlier wooden predecessor.



A wooden stave church is said to have stood on the site as early as the 1000s, but the area's exposure along a busy route between the Göinge forests and the southern plains left it vulnerable to raiding. Around 1180, a more durable stone church was built by masons from Jylland, reportedly sent by Archbishop Absalon of Lund. The nave and chancel of today's building date from this period, making them the oldest surviving parts. The north transept was added in the 1770s, and the south transept followed roughly a century later, when the original vaulted nave ceiling was removed and replaced with a flat wooden one.

Twin towers were highly unusual for churches of this era, and a local legend offers a colourful explanation: a knight from Färlöv, called away to war while his wife was expecting, is said to have promised to fund a tower if she bore a son. Returning home, he supposedly saw two towers rising above the church and realised she had given birth to twin boys — though this remains folklore rather than documented history.

Inside, the chancel vault holds lively medieval wall paintings, with sources differing slightly on their date — one account places them around 1500, attributing them to Anders Johansson (who also painted at Linderöd), while another dates them to the mid-1400s and links them to an unusual iconographic scheme of the eight omens of the Last Judgement, drawn from the writings of St Jerome. Figures from the Old Testament accompany each omen, painted in bold reds, yellows, greens and blues alongside decorative floral and geometric borders, with Latin scriptural texts worked into the design.

Other furnishings include a granite font decorated with lion figures, a late-medieval altar cabinet, and Renaissance-era fittings. A richly carved rococo memorial tablet commemorates Georg Bogislaus Staël von Holstein, a provincial governor and field marshal. The church also preserves traces of its early medieval origins in the porch, including double arches at the base of the tower and a canopied doorway.

The present organ, built in 1970 by Mårtenssons orgelfabrik of Lund, retains its façade from an earlier 1905 instrument, itself a successor to an 18th-century organ by Gustaf Gabriel Woltersson.

Opening hours

Opening hours have not been confirmed for the current date. This does not mean the church is closed.

Additional opening information is awaiting translation. Check the official visitor-information link before travelling.

Check access with the parish before travelling. Services and seasonal changes can affect visits.

Facilities & accessibility

  • Parking
  • Toilet
  • Wi-Fi
  • Hearing loop

Listed by the provider; availability has not been independently checked. An unlisted facility is not necessarily unavailable.

Araslövs församling

Färlövs kyrka

Färlövs kyrka, in the village of Färlöv northwest of Kristianstad in Skåne, is notable for its unusual twin towers, a rare feature among Sweden's early medieval churches. The stone building dates from the 1180s, though local tradition points to an earlier wooden predecessor.

Önnestadsvägen 1, 291 75, Färlöv

Explore this church: Färlövs kyrka

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

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View church details: Kyrkoköpinge kyrka
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Östra Ingelstads kyrka

Östra Ingelstads kyrka, in the Skåne village of Östra Ingelstad, is one of the district's most ancient churches. Tall and narrow, with a carved cornice frieze along its roofline, it belongs to Smedstorps församling in…

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View church details: Östra Ingelstads 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: 2 Jul 2026. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: ab1caf50-d52d-4cae-9b7e-33df37c9324c

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.