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Hejnum kyrka

Address
Hejnum kyrka, 624 38, Tingstäde
Municipality
Gotland
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Visby

Hejnum kyrka, on Gotland, stands in a richly farmed valley whose history stretches back to prehistoric settlement. A church is thought to have existed here from the 1100s, and the present building preserves traces of that earlier structure alongside its 13th-century rebuilding.



The current church took much of its present form in the mid-1200s, when a new nave, chancel and sacristy were built and joined to the older tower, which itself dated from around 1200 and replaced a smaller apse church whose foundations were only rediscovered during a 1914 excavation. Fragments of the earlier building survive built into the walls, including sections of a round-arched frieze with riders, animals and symbolic figures, and a nave portal with bird capitals. A runic inscription above the tower's west portal names "Botvid stenmästare" as builder, and the finely carved chancel portal is thought, by comparison with a similar inscription at Hellvi church, to be the work of Lafrans Botvidsson.

Inside, the vaults of nave and chancel carry ornamental painted decoration of vines and lilies from around 1250, among the earliest such schemes on Gotland. Later medieval wall paintings attributed to the so-called Passion Master survive only in fragments, with a few isolated figures still visible. A 2012 renovation revealed further traces of medieval decoration, including acanthus scrollwork in the sacristy. A crucifix hanging in the triumphal arch is dated to the early-to-mid 1200s.

Among the church's furnishings are two font basins, one from the 1200s and a later Baroque one from the 1600s, along with an altarpiece of 1738, a pulpit of 1704 and a choir pew from 1706. The mechanical organ was built in 1968 by John Grönvall's workshop.

A notable curiosity is a life-size medieval madonna statue, said to be comparable to the well-known Öja madonna. According to local tradition it was hidden away after the Reformation, when Catholic devotional images were being removed from churches, possibly rescued by a sexton; it later passed through storage at the Gotland Museum before being returned to the church in the early 2000s after some six centuries away. This story is repeated in local sources but its precise details are not independently confirmed.

The churchyard contains several notable gravestones, some said to date from the early medieval period, and a medieval lychgate survives on its northern side. To the east lies a memorial garden overlooking the surrounding fields. The wider parish, with a small population mostly no longer engaged in farming, lies along a pilgrim route between Visby and St Olofsholm, and the area is known locally for rare orchids and other plants growing in the nearby countryside.

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
  • Hearing loop
  • Ramp
  • Accessible toilet

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

A listed ramp does not confirm step-free access throughout the building.

Norra Gotlands pastorat

Hejnum kyrka

Hejnum kyrka, on Gotland, stands in a richly farmed valley whose history stretches back to prehistoric settlement. A church is thought to have existed here from the 1100s, and the present building preserves traces of that earlier structure alongside its 13th-century rebuilding.

Hejnum kyrka, 624 38, Tingstäde

Explore this church: Hejnum kyrka

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

Other churches in the same diocese

Basic listing

Sanda kyrka

Sanda kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, in Sanda, Västergarn och Mästerby församling. Built around 1300 on the site of an earlier, smaller church, it retains its 13th-century tower and is notable for…

Klinte Kyrkskolan 703, 62376, Klintehamn

View church details: Sanda kyrka
Basic listing

Ekeby kyrka

Ekeby kyrka is a medieval parish church in the village of Ekeby on Gotland, serving Dalhems församling within the Diocese of Visby. Built of limestone, it stands as one of the island's most colourfully decorated…

621 70, Visby

View church details: Ekeby kyrka
Basic listing

Roma kyrka

Roma kyrka is a medieval limestone church in the village of Roma kyrkby on Gotland, part of Roma parish in the Diocese of Visby. Its three-aisled hall-church interior and richly worked portals make it one…

622 54, Romakloster

View church details: Roma kyrka
Basic listing

Ganns ödekyrka

Ganns ödekyrka, a ruined medieval church north of Lärbro on Gotland, is now a quiet ruin steeped in legend. It once served the small parish of Gann before falling out of regular use, and it…

Ganns ödekyrka, LÄRBRO SUDERVANGE 1520, 624 53, Lärbro

View church details: Ganns ödekyrka

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: 7 Aug 2026. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 0b6b3430-9e45-4602-bbab-390647fb0055

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.

Suggest a correction

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

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Photographs are credited individually with their own licence or permission. The API data licence does not automatically cover photographs. No images are imported automatically.