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Näs kyrka

Municipality
Gotland
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Visby

Näs kyrka is a medieval church on the southern tip of Gotland, standing on the narrow neck of land above Burgsviken on the island's south-western coast. Built in the later 1200s, it belongs to Havdhem parish within the Diocese of Visby.



The church consists of a nave, a west tower, a narrower, straight-ended chancel, and a sacristy added against the chancel's north side. Built of sandstone with limestone door surrounds, the nave, tower and chancel form a unified structure from the later thirteenth century, though the sacristy dates from 1814 and was enlarged in 1862. The white-rendered facades leave the stone corner quoins and door surrounds exposed, and the tower's present upper storey and short spire date from an 1864 rebuilding.

Inside, the nave, chancel and ringing chamber are each covered by a tent vault, with the nave vault ranking among the largest of its kind on Gotland. During a restoration led by architect Jan Utas in 1989–1990, medieval wall paintings were uncovered. The chancel's ornamental decoration, including quadratura painting on the triumphal arch, dates from the late thirteenth century, while two surviving scenes from a Passion cycle in the nave are attributed to the circle of the so-called Passion Master, active in the fifteenth century. Traces of later, post-Reformation decoration also survive, along with medieval graffiti-like scratch drawings and a well-preserved holy water niche in the inner reveal of the nave portal.

Among the furnishings, the sandstone altarpiece was made in nearby Burgsvik in 1692 and depicts Abraham preparing to sacrifice Isaac, flanked by Moses and Aaron. The altar rail and choir stalls date from the seventeenth century, the font from 1699, and the pulpit possibly from 1706. A poor box survives from 1786, and a votive ship from the 1870s was donated by a local seaman from Näs. The triumphal crucifix seen today is a copy of a medieval original.

The mechanical organ was built in 1967 by Andreas Thulesius of Klintehamn. In 1986, archaeologists investigated the foundations of what nineteenth-century maps suggest was a kastal, a defensive tower, near the old Näs schoolhouse; the stone footing found measured roughly 5.5 by 3.8 metres, with the remainder thought to lie beneath the schoolhouse itself.

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

Havdhems församling

Havdhems församling

Näs kyrka

Näs kyrka is a medieval church on the southern tip of Gotland, standing on the narrow neck of land above Burgsviken on the island's south-western coast. Built in the later 1200s, it belongs to Havdhem parish within the Diocese of Visby.

Explore this church: Näs 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

Fole kyrka

Fole kyrka, in the parish of Väskinde on Gotland, is a medieval limestone church said to have been completed around 1280. Standing among the island's higher ground, it retains a striking font carving of the…

View church details: Fole kyrka
Basic listing

Follingbo kyrka

Follingbo kyrka is a medieval parish church in the village of Follingbo on Gotland, part of the Church of Sweden's Visby diocese. Built of limestone around 1200, it retains much of its original Romanesque and…

621 91, Visby

View church details: Follingbo kyrka
Basic listing

Silte kyrka

Silte kyrka is a medieval parish church on the southern part of Gotland, within Havdhem parish. Consecrated in the thirteenth century, it stands on the site of an earlier stave church and remains a notable…

View church details: Silte kyrka
Basic listing

Alskogs kyrka

Alskogs kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, in Garde parish, believed to have been consecrated in the 12th century. Its history reflects several phases of rebuilding, and it retains a number of striking…

Garde Prästgård 410

View church details: Alskogs 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: 184019ff-22f8-47c1-8ae7-18ec7600f1d0

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.