Skip to main content

Lyse kyrka

Address
Lyse kyrka
Municipality
Lysekils Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Göteborg

Lyse kyrka, north of Lysekil on Sweden's west coast, is a granite church completed in 1912. Its predecessor, now a ruin nearby, dates back at least to the medieval period, giving this small parish an unusually visible layered history spanning some 600 years.



The present church was built in 1911–1912 to designs by architect Sigfrid Ericson, with Linus Johan Johansson as master builder. It draws on the study of old Swedish churches, adopting a Romanesque form with round arches, a vaulted chancel and a semicircular apse. A sacristy sits against the north side of the nave, and a tower with entrance and porch rises at the west end; electricity was installed in 1921.

The granite structure is notable for its carved detail: patterned ornament surrounds the doorways, echoing old motifs, and the heavy roof is supported on stone corbels carved by stonemasons from the parish, depicting human and animal figures. The church measures 24 metres in length and 14 metres in internal height to the roof ridge, with a pointed tower reaching about 50 metres.

Inside, the granite font was designed in 1912 by the church's architect, with a seven-sided bowl, a profiled shaft and a broad square base. The pulpit was made the same year by Harald Petersson of Gothenburg. The organ, originally built in 1880 by Salomon Molander, was destroyed in the fire that had devastated the earlier church; a replacement was installed in 1912 by Johannes Magnusson and later rebuilt in 1958.

Just south of today's church stands the ruin of Lyse's old church, first recorded in a 1391 bishop's register. Parts of its north wall may survive from the medieval building, and a Romanesque coffin-lid gravestone remaining in the ruin has been attributed to the 12th century. The old church was decorated with paintings by Christian von Schönfeldt in 1702 and rebuilt in 1851, when it was described as one of the brightest and most beautiful churches in Bohuslän; the churchyard was reorganised at the same time and many older graves removed. The building burned down on a Sunday in February 1909 and has stood as a ruin ever since.

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.

Facilities & accessibility

  • Parking
  • Toilet
  • Hearing loop
  • Ramp

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.

Lysekils norra församling

Lyse kyrka

Lyse kyrka, north of Lysekil on Sweden's west coast, is a granite church completed in 1912. Its predecessor, now a ruin nearby, dates back at least to the medieval period, giving this small parish an unusually visible layered history spanning some 600 years.

Lyse kyrka

Explore this church: Lyse 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

Förlanda kyrka

Förlanda kyrka is a parish church in the village of Förlanda, in Kungsbacka municipality, Halland. Since 2013 it has belonged to Fjärås-Förlanda parish in the Diocese of Gothenburg, and it stands on a site with…

Rossaredsvägen 639, 43972, Fjärås

View church details: Förlanda kyrka
Basic listing

Bollebygds kyrka

1844 is inscribed above the door of Bollebygd Church – and this is likely the third church on the site, following an early wooden church that was later replaced by a medieval church. Originally, the…

Bollebygds Kyrkväg 1, 51737, BOLLEBYGD

View church details: Bollebygds kyrka
Basic listing

Tranemo kyrka

Tranemo kyrka is a striking centralised church in the small town of Tranemo, Västra Götaland, designed by the Borås architect Emil Langlét and built in stone during the 1880s to replace an earlier wooden church…

Kyrkogatan 2, 51432, Tranemo

View church details: Tranemo kyrka
Basic listing

Drängsereds kyrka

Drängsereds kyrka, in the Halland village of Drängsered, was built in 1780–1783 and consecrated on 30 January 1785, when it was named after the reigning Queen of Sweden, Sophia Magdalena, consort of Gustav III.

Drängsereds kyrka, 314 98, Drängsered

View church details: Drängsereds 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: 24 Jan 2023. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: cb3255c8-937f-417b-94f2-a373680ffdf9

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

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.