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Hemse kyrka

Municipality
Gotland
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Visby

Hemse kyrka is a medieval church in Hemse on Gotland, part of Alva, Hemse och Rone parish. Built on the site of an earlier stave church, it retains striking medieval architecture, carved fittings and wall paintings that reward a visit.



The present stone church replaced an earlier stave church dating from the first half of the 1100s, remnants of which were rediscovered as wall planks in the church floor during a restoration in 1896; a reconstruction of that stave church can now be seen at the Historical Museum. The surviving medieval building has a nave and a narrower chancel with an apse to the east, built of sandstone, and a west tower of limestone. The nave and chancel date from the early 1200s, with the tower added later in the same century, while the sacristy on the north side of the chancel is a nineteenth-century addition from 1896.

The exterior is whitewashed with hewn limestone quoins, tiled saddleback roofs over nave and chancel, and a hipped roof over the apse. The tower has round-arched, colonette-divided sound openings and is topped by an octagonal spire. Of the church's three doorways, the south tower portal is the most imposing and serves as the main entrance; it was added around 1300 during a remodelling that also saw the nave's original south doorway moved to the tower's north side, the vaults built, and a west window inserted into the tower. The window openings elsewhere were enlarged in the mid-1800s.

Inside, the single-nave church is covered by two tent vaults, with a narrow, slightly pointed triumphal arch leading to the chancel, while the tower arch is considerably wider. A 1962–63 restoration under architect Olle Karth uncovered and restored medieval wall paintings to a more original appearance.

Among the furnishings, the font has a Gothic-style bowl from the 1300s set on a base attributed to the workshop of the Gotlandic sculptor Hegvald, dating from the later 1100s. The triumphal crucifix is said to date from the end of the twelfth century, and the sandstone altarpiece was donated in 1699. The pulpit dates from 1768, and a church bell hanging in the tower was cast in the early 1400s.

The current organ was built in 1963 by the Frobenius Orgelbyggeri of Kongens Lyngby, Denmark, and is mechanical; it replaced an earlier instrument built in 1916 by Åkerman & Lund of Stockholm.

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.

Contact & official information

Alva, Hemse och Rone församling

Alva, Hemse och Rone församling

Hemse kyrka

Hemse kyrka is a medieval church in Hemse on Gotland, part of Alva, Hemse och Rone parish. Built on the site of an earlier stave church, it retains striking medieval architecture, carved fittings and wall paintings that reward a visit.

Explore this church: Hemse 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

Stenkumla kyrka

Stenkumla kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, standing within Stenkumla församling under the Diocese of Visby. Its long building history, surviving medieval carvings and wall paintings make it a rewarding stop for visitors…

Stenkumla församling Vibble gård Drejaregatan 1

View church details: Stenkumla 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

Halla kyrka

Halla kyrka is a small medieval church in Halla parish on Gotland, part of Vänge parish since 2006. Dating back to the 1200s, it stands as a quiet example of the island's rich heritage of…

622 54, Romakloster

View church details: Halla kyrka
Basic listing

Dalhems kyrka

Dalhems kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, sometimes nicknamed the "cathedral of the countryside" and noted for its remarkable 13th-century stained glass. It serves Dalhem parish within the Diocese of Visby.

622 56, Dalhem

View church details: Dalhems 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: 26 Jan 2024. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: d3805f69-2706-44fd-bf9b-90a53764f511

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.