Herrljunga kyrka

The church was raised in stone in the Empire style (sometimes called Karl Johan style), fashionable in Sweden at the time, and was consecrated on Christmas Eve 1865. According to parish records, much of the construction work was carried out by ordinary parishioners, from farmers to cottagers, with only the poorest exempted from labour; women reportedly took on the heavy task of preparing the lime mortar. Wikipedia instead describes the building as Romanesque in style, with sturdy spired corner turrets and a 38-metre crossing tower to the west, so visitors may notice differing characterisations of its architecture depending on the source consulted.

The church replaced Herrljunga's medieval church, whose origins are uncertain but traditionally dated to the 1200s, and the nearby Tarsled church, demolished in 1863. Ruins of the old church and parts of the historic churchyard were investigated and restored in 1957.

Inside, the original altarpiece, painted by local artist Carl Reimer after Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, remained in place until 1938, when a major restoration moved the altar to the east end of the church and bricked up the chancel window. An older Baroque altarpiece from Tarsled church was then installed in the chancel, remaining there until a further renovation in 2005 reopened the window and introduced a new stained-glass work by Gothenburg artist Anna Eggert, along with new pews and ceiling.

Among the church's older furnishings is a late-15th-century oak Madonna sculpture, with the Virgin and Christ child carved separately, and a sandstone font from the 1200s decorated with palmette ornament. Two Baroque altarpieces from the 1600s, one originally from Tarsled and one from the old Herrljunga church, were restored in 1930 and now serve as the high altar and font altar pieces respectively.

The church's bells include a smaller medieval bell, cast by the noted bell-founder Håkan (Haqvinus) and inscribed with runes, thought to date from around the 1350s–1360s; it is counted among Sweden's small number of surviving runic bells. Its companion, an older runic bell, was sold to the Swedish History Museum in the 1890s. The church clock, with its four faces, was installed in 1923 and has since marked the time for townspeople and passing rail travellers alike.