Förlösa kyrka

The medieval church that previously stood here had been extended during the 1700s but eventually proved too small for the growing parish. Rather than enlarge it further, the parish decided to demolish it and build anew. Plans were originally drawn up by a builder named Nordström from Kalmar and then reworked by the architect Johan Fredrik Åbom at the Överintendentsämbetet (the Superintendent's Office responsible for public buildings). Construction took place between 1855 and 1858, and the church was consecrated in November 1858.

Architecturally, the building is notable for blending neoclassical and neo-Gothic elements at a relatively early date for Sweden. The nave has pointed-arch windows typical of the Gothic Revival, and the church ends in a three-sided chancel to the east. A tall neo-Gothic spire crowns the west tower, giving the building a distinctive silhouette against the Småland countryside.

Inside, the neo-Gothic altarpiece was painted in 1860 by Johan Zacharias Blackstadius, depicting Christ and the women at the tomb. The pulpit, complete with its canopy and a stair rising from the sacristy, dates from the church's construction and shares the same Gothic Revival detailing. The font, carved from Öland limestone, was added later, in 1943, along with a smaller baptismal altar with a wooden relief on the south wall of the chancel, the work of H Teleman. Two stained-glass windows in the chancel were designed in 1954 by Elvira Larsson-Hjort.

The church has had more than one organ over the years: an instrument built in 1867 by O Hultqvist of Förlösa was replaced in 1955 by a new organ from Olof Hammarberg of Gothenburg, with a case designed by the architect G Gerdsiö. A smaller mechanical choir organ was added in 1986. Visitors interested in church music may find the organ's history a modest point of curiosity, though the building is used today primarily for baptisms, weddings, funerals and the parish's principal seasonal services.