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Råneå kyrka

Address
Västerlångvägen 6
Municipality
Luleå kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Luleå

Råneå kyrka stands in Råneå, part of Luleå municipality in northern Sweden, within the parish of the same name in the Diocese of Luleå. It replaced a much older timber chapel and remains the focal point of a small historic settlement.



The present church was built between 1854 and 1857 to a design by the architect Johan Fredrik Åbom, replacing a wooden chapel of Saint Peter that had stood on the site since the 1640s. When the new building was completed, the earlier chapel was demolished, though its organ, bells, silverware and textiles were carried across and reused in the new church, giving continuity between the old and new places of worship.

Architecturally the church is a yellow-painted cruciform building, with a sacristy, altar and tower aligned along its central axis, a form typical of many nineteenth-century Swedish parish churches designed for large congregations. A substantial restoration in 1956–57, overseen by architects Einar Lundberg and Bengt Romare, reorganised the interior seating to accommodate around 600 places on the ground floor and a further 300 in the gallery, and relocated the pulpit.

Among the furnishings, the altar sculpture, added in 1957 and depicting a scene from the Book of Revelation, is the work of the sculptor Erik Sand. It sits beneath an eighteenth-century arch decorated with angel heads and supported on columns attributed to Hans Biskop, an older feature retained through the church's rebuilding. A wooden crucifix from the 1700s by an unknown maker hangs on the north wall, and there is also a smaller copy of Bertel Thorvaldsen's well-known Christ figure.

Older still is the church's red sandstone font, dated to 1655–56 and decorated with eight relief panels, including carved angel heads facing the altar. A striking survival from the medieval period is a ruby-red velvet chasuble decorated with a pomegranate pattern, said to have been made in Danzig and dated to the fifteenth century — a rare textile to have been preserved through several centuries and at least one church rebuilding.

To the west of the church lies the old churchyard, enclosed by a low stone wall and containing a small number of surviving gravestones; it went out of use as a burial ground in the 1890s. Alongside the church stands Råneå kyrkstad, a cluster of ten preserved church cottages, once used by parishioners travelling from outlying farms to stay overnight for services and church festivals.

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.

Råneå församling

Råneå kyrka

Råneå kyrka stands in Råneå, part of Luleå municipality in northern Sweden, within the parish of the same name in the Diocese of Luleå. It replaced a much older timber chapel and remains the focal point of a small historic settlement.

Västerlångvägen 6

Explore this church: Råneå kyrka

Church information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.

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Basic listing

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Bjurholms kyrka

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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: 46b89d84-6efa-4c18-bd7a-b32f2006ae09

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.