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Jämtö småkyrka

Address
Laviksvägen 18, 955 92, Råneå
Municipality
Luleå kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Luleå

Jämtö småkyrka is a small church on the island of Jämtön near Råneå, in the Luleå archipelago of northern Sweden. Built in the late 1950s in the style of a Sami kåta, it is unusual among Swedish churches and was consecrated by Bishop Ivar Hylander in 1960.



The church's distinctive form, echoing the traditional conical kåta dwelling, makes it a rarity among Sweden's parish churches. It was designed by the Thurfjells architectural practice in Luleå, and its construction was very much a community effort: local residents donated the timber and the site itself, and funds were raised through auctions and collections, including work by the village sewing circle. A grant from the Kempe Memorial Fund also contributed to the costs, which totalled around 96,000 kronor for the church, bell tower and fittings.

Inside, the altarpiece was painted by Marianne Nordström, who later became a nun at Alsike kloster in central Sweden. The organ was built by the respected firm Grönlunds orgelbyggeri of Gammelstad. The font's origins are less clear: asked about it, the then vicar Engelbert Byström is said to have simply called it "a gift", and its donor has never been identified.

The birch trees surrounding the church were planted in the early 1960s by local villagers. Before a separate parish building, Jämtögården, opened in 1991, the church's assembly hall served the community for gatherings of many kinds, including the annual hunting meetings. Around the turn of the millennium, volunteers from Jämtön rebuilt the roof themselves.

The church has occasionally attracted wider attention, with its evening bell-ringing broadcast on television on a couple of occasions, and its unusual building story once featured in a Swedish weekly magazine.

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.

Råneå församling

Jämtö småkyrka

Jämtö småkyrka is a small church on the island of Jämtön near Råneå, in the Luleå archipelago of northern Sweden. Built in the late 1950s in the style of a Sami kåta, it is unusual among Swedish churches and was consecrated by Bishop Ivar Hylander in 1960.

Laviksvägen 18, 955 92, Råneå

Explore this church: Jämtö småkyrka

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

Holmsunds kyrka

Holmsund Church was built in 1863 by Dickson & Co in connection with their sawmill in Holmsund. It served as a company church (brukskyrka) until 1918, when Holmsund became its own parish. In 1986 an…

Kyrkogatan 9

View church details: Holmsunds 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: 27 Jun 2024. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 4a455c87-3b22-4794-b8c3-7bac7f27a634

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.