Örkeneds kyrka stands in Lönsboda in north-eastern Skåne, a gustavian-style parish church completed in the late 1780s. Built to replace a much older timber church, it remains the focal point of Örkened parish and a notable example of late 18th-century Scanian church architecture.
The present church was built between 1786 and 1790, replacing an earlier wooden church that stood slightly to the south and is thought to date back to the 1500s, having been enlarged and rebuilt several times over the following two centuries. The design is generally attributed to the architect Olof Tempelman, though sources note the approved 1777 drawing was unsigned, so his authorship is not entirely certain. The building work was led by master mason Nils Billing of Kristianstad, with the foundation laid in 1784. All able-bodied men of the parish were required to help with construction, a communal effort still recorded in an inscription inside the church. The church was consecrated on 30 November 1788.
The building is constructed of roughcast, whitewashed granite, with a rectangular nave, a straight-ended chancel and a sacristy extension to the east. A west tower houses the main entrance and was given its distinctive curved cupola, flanked by small classical pediments, in 1790. The roof was originally covered with wooden shingles, later replaced entirely by copper sheeting in 1936; only the tower roof had copper cladding before that date.
Inside, the pulpit is a survival from the older timber church, dating from the late 1600s, and is decorated with carved figures of the four evangelists, with a later sounding board added above. The altarpiece was painted in 1789–90 by Martin David Roth of Lund, paired with an altar structure carved in 1790 by the sculptor Johan Millberg of Landskrona. A wooden font from 1696 also survives from the earlier church. The gallery balustrade is decorated with grisaille paintings added in the 1830s by Carl Strömberg.
The church's two bells both once hung in the old church's freestanding bell tower: the larger dates from 1708 and the smaller from 1740, cast by members of the Wetterholtz family of Malmö. The church has an organ with a façade dating from 1877, though the instrument itself has been rebuilt more than once, most recently in 1985.
A restoration in the late 1950s saw the chancel floor and aisles relaid with Öland limestone. Örkeneds kyrka continues to serve as a place of worship and a venue for cultural events within its parish.
Provider-listed schedule, applicable on 12 Oct 2026. All times are local to Sweden.
| Monday | 07:30–15:00 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 07:30–15:00 |
| Wednesday | 07:30–15:00 |
| Thursday | 07:30–15:00 |
| Friday | 07:30–15:00 |
| Saturday | Not listed |
| Sunday | 09:00–11:00 |
Additional opening information is awaiting translation. Check the official visitor-information link before travelling.
Check access with the parish before travelling. Services and seasonal changes can affect visits.
Listed by the provider; availability has not been independently checked. An unlisted facility is not necessarily unavailable.
Örkeneds församling
Örkeneds församling
Örkeneds kyrka stands in Lönsboda in north-eastern Skåne, a gustavian-style parish church completed in the late 1780s. Built to replace a much older timber church, it remains the focal point of Örkened parish and a notable example of late 18th-century Scanian church architecture.
Tosthultsvägen 2, 283 72, Lönsboda
Explore this church: Örkeneds kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
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Ådalsvägen 12, 246 35, Löddeköpinge
View church details: Löddeköpinge kyrkaLocation and available visiting information. A fuller English guide is still to be added.
Klostergatan 12
View church details: BirgittakapelletFärlövs kyrka, in the village of Färlöv northwest of Kristianstad in Skåne, is notable for its unusual twin towers, a rare feature among Sweden's early medieval churches. The stone building dates from the 1180s, though…
Önnestadsvägen 1, 291 75, Färlöv
View church details: Färlövs kyrkaTåstarps kyrka stands on a low hill between Munka Ljungby and Hjärnarp in Skåne, its site said by local tradition to have been a place of pagan sacrifice before Christianity took hold. The church seats…
Tåstarps byaväg 2, 26692, Munka Ljungby
View church details: Tåstarps kyrkaSources, credits and English adaptations are identified on each church page. Provider data: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0.
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 May 2026. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: aba16fe9-de9b-4138-a326-e87848011fde
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.