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Rasbo Kyrka

Address
Gåvstavägen 1, 74178, Uppsala
Municipality
Uppsala Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Uppsala

Rasbo Kyrka is a medieval parish church in Uppland, near Gåvsta some 12 kilometres north-east of Uppsala. Belonging to Rasbo-Rasbokils parish within the Church of Sweden, it is noted as one of the larger rural churches in the region.



The church has grey stone walls and a cruciform plan with a west tower, a porch to the south and a sacristy to the north. Its origins lie in the late 13th century, when the tower and west transept are thought to have been built as part of an earlier, narrower nave and chancel. Traces of a well beneath the tower have led to suggestions that the building may originally have served as a baptismal church. The porch was added in the early 14th century, and around the mid-15th century the nave was given vaulting, with surviving wall paintings bearing an inscribed date of 1456. Towards the end of the medieval period the church was enlarged with a new chancel, transepts and sacristy, giving it the cross-shaped layout seen today.

The exterior was rendered in yellow and its windows enlarged during the 1760s, then altered again in 1827, when the tower was structurally separated from the nave. A new tower roof was added in 1802 after lightning strikes had damaged the earlier structure. A restoration in 1925 aimed to recover more of the church's original medieval character in the interior.

Among the furnishings, two oak crucifixes stand out: one attributed to the so-called Rasbo Master, dated to the early 14th century, and another from a Mälardalen workshop of the later 15th century. The altarpiece, carved from Gotland sandstone, was donated in 1649 by Åke Ulfsparre af Broxvik, admiral and member of the Privy Council, and his wife Margareta Kyle; the pulpit was a gift from the same donor. A sandstone font was added in 1950, given by a local church youth group. Chancel windows carry stained glass based on designs by Olle Hjortzberg.

In the north transept is a Maria Chapel with a modern altarpiece painted in icon technique by Bengt Olof Kälde in 1996, alongside a further icon of his from 2000 in the south transept; Kälde also created a large wall mosaic depicting the Rasbo district in the parish hall. The church bears three bells: the largest, cast in 1583, cracked in 1708 and was recast in 1710; the smaller bell was recast several times during the 17th and 18th centuries; a third, medieval bell once served as the striking bell for the tower clock and still hangs in the lantern.

The church's organ history is unusually rich for a rural parish. An 18th-century instrument was built by Olof Hedlund, completed after his death in 1749 by Carl Holm; its façade survives, though it no longer sounds, having been retained as a case for a later pneumatic organ built in 1918 and subsequently altered. A separate mechanical organ was installed in 1985, and a smaller Danish-built organ, moved from chapels in Uppsala, now stands in the Maria Chapel.

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

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

Rasbo pastorat

Rasbo Kyrka

Rasbo Kyrka is a medieval parish church in Uppland, near Gåvsta some 12 kilometres north-east of Uppsala. Belonging to Rasbo-Rasbokils parish within the Church of Sweden, it is noted as one of the larger rural churches in the region.

Gåvstavägen 1, 74178, Uppsala

Explore this church: Rasbo 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

Hammarby kapell

Hammarby kapell is a small chapel in Hammarby, Gästrikland, within the Ovansjö-Järbo parish. Recognisable by its spired tower and decoratively carved entrance canopy, it began life serving a very different purpose from today's quiet place…

Kapellvägen 3, 812 41, Gästrike-Hammarby

View church details: Hammarby 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: 15 Sep 2026. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 83442a63-a129-4af0-ba77-f952654e6a07

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.