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Odensvi kyrka

Address
Odensvi kyrka 1, 594 94, Odensvi
Municipality
Västerviks Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Linköping

Odensvi kyrka is an 18th-century parish church in the Odensvi area of Småland, a typical example of its period and region. It stands roughly 40 km north-west of Västervik, and its plain, limewashed exterior belies a long history stretching back centuries before the present building.



The current church, consecrated in 1778, replaced an earlier stone church on the same site, which itself may have succeeded an even older building — a sandstone font base dated to the 1100s suggests a church existed here from early medieval times. Fragments rescued from the old church, including a 14th-century tympanon relief and carved corbel heads, were built into the new church's west and south portals, providing a visible link to that earlier structure.

The building is constructed of limewashed granite rubble, with a nave, a three-sided chancel to the east, and a tapering tower to the west topped with a cross. Large round-arched windows and a tarred timber-shingle roof give it a restrained, classic 18th-century Swedish parish church appearance. The construction, carried out between 1774 and 1776, is credited to master builder Eric Ekelund and master mason Jonas Zachrisson, though the identity of the original designer remains uncertain.

Inside, the altarpiece was painted in 1809 by Pehr Hörberg, a noted Swedish church painter, depicting Christ's conversation with Nicodemus, with its frame attributed to his brother Bengt Hörberg. Older furnishings displaced from the previous church survive as fragments, including part of a 1728 altar structure and pieces of a 1628 pulpit decorated with evangelist symbols, now kept in a tower chamber. A wooden crucifix from the 1600s and a richly patterned 15th- or 16th-century chasuble, said to have been sent from Poland, are among the more unusual smaller items associated with the church.

The pulpit was installed in 1788, and beneath the chancel lies a brick-built burial vault for a local magistrate's family. The church's organ has a long history of rebuilding, from an early 18th-century instrument through 19th-century and 20th-century reconstructions, with the current case front reportedly retaining elements from a 1776 organ façade.

The churchyard contains graves of members of the Fleetwood and Wennerberg families, including the 19th-century politician and poet Gunnar Wennerberg and his descendants, as well as the psychiatrist Poul Bjerre, reflecting the church's long-standing ties to local landed families.

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

  • Toilet
  • Hearing loop

Listed by the provider; availability has not been independently checked. An unlisted facility is not necessarily unavailable.

Norra Tjusts pastorat

Odensvi kyrka

Odensvi kyrka is an 18th-century parish church in the Odensvi area of Småland, a typical example of its period and region. It stands roughly 40 km north-west of Västervik, and its plain, limewashed exterior belies a long history stretching back centuries before the present building.

Odensvi kyrka 1, 594 94, Odensvi

Explore this church: Odensvi 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

Örtomta kyrka

Örtomta kyrka, near Linköping in Östergötland, is a stone church begun in the late twelfth century and long associated with the Banér family of nearby Ekenäs slott. Extended, damaged and rebuilt more than once, it…

Kyrkebyvägen 9, 58562, Linghem

View church details: Örtomta kyrka
Basic listing

Vena kyrka

Vena kyrka is a parish church in Vena, part of Aspelands pastorat in Kalmar county, within the Diocese of Linköping. Built in a neo-Gothic style around the turn of the 19th century, it remains one…

Sockenvägen, 57790, Vena

View church details: Vena kyrka
Basic listing

Borgs kyrka

Borgs kyrka, a few kilometres south-west of Norrköping, is a neoclassical church built in 1801–1803 to serve the newly merged parishes of Borg and Löt. It replaced two medieval churches and remains a striking example…

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View church details: Borgs 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: 17 Oct 2023. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: be4be285-301c-49e2-9aa1-d2741adda81b

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.