Skip to main content

Sal kyrka

Address
GRÄSTORP
Municipality
Grästorps Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Skara

Sal kyrka, also known as Sals kyrka, stands on flat farmland near a bay of Lake Vänern in what is now Flo parish, Skara diocese. Though largely rebuilt in the 1880s, it incorporates parts of a much older medieval stone church on the same site.



The first church at Sal was a small, tower-less sandstone building with a straight east end, thought to date from the twelfth century, though earlier accounts suggest a modest medieval structure with only a single narrow window and door on its south side. By the 1740s the entrance had been moved to the west end and a porch added. Further renovation followed in 1773, with a new altarpiece and painted decoration. Structural problems appeared later: cracks in the walls were reinforced with iron rods in 1789, and by 1870 the north wall needed propping with timber beams. Concerns over safety led the congregation to abandon the old building in March 1871.

After lengthy discussions, a new church incorporating substantial parts of the old one was built and consecrated in 1881. It has a slate roof and a copper-clad spire in neo-Gothic style, while the large brick-arched windows and the rose window on the tower's west side reflect a Romanesque influence. A thorough restoration took place around 1952, when a sacristy was added on the north side, a former screen wall behind the altar was removed, and the chancel window was blocked; since the church has no altarpiece, a cross that had hung on the old screen was placed in the resulting niche.

The pulpit, considered the finest piece of furnishing, survives from the earlier church and is generally dated to the seventeenth century; it was restored to its original appearance during the 1952 works. Fragments of a triumphal crucifix hang above the sacristy door. A carved oak figure of a seated Madonna, dated to the late fourteenth century, is also among the church's notable medieval survivals.

Other items of interest include a wooden torso of Christ, a communion chalice made by a Gothenburg goldsmith in 1658, and a Bible dated 1618. A female saint's figure once kept here has been deposited with the Västergötland Museum in Skara. Two bells hang in the tower, one cast in Gothenburg in 1741, the other donated in 1937 and cast in Ystad; both carry inscriptions in Latin and Swedish. The organ was built in 1913 by a firm from Lidköping and renovated in 1973.

Outside the churchyard's south wall stands a runestone, known locally as the Sal Stone, discovered broken in the old church foundations in 1881 and since repaired. Two eighteenth-century gravestones and a limestone sundial dated 1665 can also be found in the churchyard.

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.

Grästorps pastorat

Sal kyrka

Sal kyrka, also known as Sals kyrka, stands on flat farmland near a bay of Lake Vänern in what is now Flo parish, Skara diocese. Though largely rebuilt in the 1880s, it incorporates parts of a much older medieval stone church on the same site.

GRÄSTORP

Explore this church: Sal 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

Ekby kyrka

Ekby kyrka is a modest parish church in the Tidan valley in Västra Götaland, part of Ullervads församling in the Diocese of Skara. Low-lying and largely hidden from the road, it stands on a site…

Ullervadsvägen 2, Marci hus

View church details: Ekby kyrka
Basic listing

Timmersdala kyrka

Timmersdala kyrka stands in the Timmersdala kyrby, part of Bergs församling in Skara stift, Västra Götaland. Its origins trace back to the 13th century, though the building visitors see today largely dates from the 1830s…

54171, TIMMERSDALA

View church details: Timmersdala kyrka
Basic listing

Ås kyrka

Ås kyrka is a medieval parish church in Flo församling, Västra Götaland, standing on a striking mound beside the Dättern shore in northern Grästorp municipality. Its long history, ancient burial site and runic stone make…

c/o Grästorps Pastorat Tengenevägen 1, 46730, GRÄSTORP

View church details: Ås kyrka
Basic listing

Landa kyrka

Landa kyrka is a small, unassuming timber church standing a little way off the main road in the eastern part of Vårgårda, within Skara diocese. Modest in scale and simple in form, it offers a…

Kungsgatan 43

View church details: Landa 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: 29 Sep 2023. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: cb1e2e8f-6600-4971-bcf2-1e500959f9cf

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.