Hovs kyrka

The churchyard adjoins a prehistoric grave mound with stone settings and standing stones (bautastenar), evidence that Hov was already a place of assembly and worship in pre-Christian times, later used for local councils and courts as well.

The earliest church here is thought to have been a wooden stave church, possibly raised in the early 1100s, followed by a stone church built sometime in the 1100s or 1200s. It seems likely that this building was altered or rebuilt in the 1500s, though details from this period are uncertain.

The present church dates from 1837–1839, designed by the architect Samuel Enander, and replaced the earlier stone church that stood on the same spot; its lead roof was sold to help fund the new building. The tower's original lantern was replaced with the stepped gables seen today in 1871. The roof itself has had an eventful history: oak shingles unsuited to the damp climate gave way to pine, then to English corrugated iron in 1888, which blew off in a Christmas storm in 1902 and was replaced with Swedish corrugated iron. A fire caused by a lightning strike and faulty lightning conductor in 1970 led to the current slate-effect (skiffereternit) roofing.

Inside, the stone font dates from the 1200s, paired with a hammered brass font bowl probably made in Nuremberg in the 1500s. A triumphal crucifix on the south wall is also attributed to the 1200s, making it one of the oldest surviving furnishings. Near the entrance stand two wooden stocks from the 1700s, one for the poor and one for the parish, once used for public punishment.

The altar painting was created by Fritiof Swensson of Gothenburg and installed in 1922. A communion vessel was remade in 1797, and an oblate box dates from the early 1800s. A floor urn by Yngve Blixt of Höganäs was donated in 1974 and stands in the tower's ground-floor porch.

The tower holds two bells of matching shape: the larger, cast in 1704 by Lars Uetterholtz of Malmö and recast in 1860 and 1927, now weighs 580 kg; the smaller was cast in 1513 and recast in 1839 and 1923, weighing 325 kg. The organ was built in 1912 by Eskil Lundin of Gothenburg with twelve stops and was restored and returned to use in 1997, though sources differ on whether it remains playable or has since been supplemented or replaced by an electronic instrument.