Skip to main content

Ovanåkers kyrka

Address
Västra Kyrkogatan 9, Johannesgården
Municipality
Ovanåkers Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Uppsala

Ovanåkers kyrka is a parish church of the Church of Sweden in Ovanåker, part of the Alfta-Ovanåkers parish within the Diocese of Uppsala. This stone church, completed in the mid-eighteenth century, stands close to the site of its wooden predecessor.



Construction of the present stone church began in 1744, replacing an earlier wooden church built in 1622 that had stood a short distance to the south. The new building was consecrated in 1753 after nine years of work. It consists of a rectangular nave with a sacristy added to the east side during rebuilding work in 1801–1802, at which time the north doorway was also altered.

The original plans included a bell tower attached to the church, but disaster struck one Sunday morning in 1752 when the nearly finished tower collapsed, reportedly due to unstable local clay. As a result, the church has never had its own tower; instead, a freestanding wooden bell frame west of the church, built in 1764–1765 by Olof Olsson of Undersvik, has served this purpose ever since.

Several fittings inside the church were carried over from the old wooden building, including the pulpit and an altarpiece. The pulpit is decorated with figures representing the four evangelists, and a carved dove symbolising the Holy Spirit hangs beneath its canopy.

The church has had a succession of organs. An instrument built in 1844–1845 by Jonas Wengström of Ovanåker was later altered and enlarged, with its inner workings eventually moved elsewhere; the organ case from that period was retained through subsequent rebuildings and survives in the current organ, a mechanical instrument installed in 1965. A separate, smaller organ for the choir was added in 1975.

Among those buried at the church are the author Hans Lidman and Johan Erik Olsson, known locally as "Lim-Johan".

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.

Alfta-Ovanåkers församling

Ovanåkers kyrka

Ovanåkers kyrka is a parish church of the Church of Sweden in Ovanåker, part of the Alfta-Ovanåkers parish within the Diocese of Uppsala. This stone church, completed in the mid-eighteenth century, stands close to the site of its wooden predecessor.

Västra Kyrkogatan 9, Johannesgården

Explore this church: Ovanåkers 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

Hälsingtuna kyrka

Hälsingtuna kyrka, set in Tunbyn near Hudiksvall, is a pilgrimage-era parish church whose earliest fabric dates back to the late 1100s or early 1200s. It remains a notable example of medieval church building in Hälsingland,…

Hälsingtuna 55, Hudiksvall

View church details: Hälsingtuna kyrka
Basic listing

Hällbo kapell

Hällbo kapell is a small chapel near Bollnäs, built in 1844 to serve the workers and farming community around the Hällbo ironworks. Modest in scale, it offers a glimpse of Sweden's industrial-era rural chapel tradition.

Hällbo 9040, 821 92, Bollnäs

View church details: Hällbo kapell

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: 9 Jun 2022. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 39119549-f101-49ef-a136-7e1aa3fa29d9

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.