Salems kyrka

The church stands on a headland south of Bornsjön, sheltered among old oaks, limes, alders and birches in an area rich in ancient remains. Traces of what may have been loopholes beneath the tower's north eaves hint that the building once served a defensive purpose as well as a religious one. The tower is traditionally said to stand at the west end, and parts of its structure, including ironwork, date from the twelfth century.

Over the centuries the church was altered more than once: a porch was added in the fifteenth century when the originally small nave was extended south and east, giving a roomier but somewhat asymmetrical plan, and in the seventeenth century the Wrede family added their own chancel. Despite these changes, the building has kept an overall ancient character.

Inside, the font dates from the twelfth century and a crucifix from the thirteenth hangs in the triumphal arch. A fine late-medieval altar cabinet attributed to Hermann Rohde, depicting the local saint Botvid among others, once stood here but was given to the Swedish History Museum in Stockholm in 1873. The church also holds older textiles and silverware associated with the Wrede and Lindhjelm families, including a chalice and a decorated silver jug altered in the early nineteenth century, though such items are not always on public display.

The pulpit dates from 1809 and is unusually placed above the altar; both were designed by Per Wilhelm Palmroth. The church's earlier pulpit was demolished the same year and has not survived. According to local tradition, the site may have been associated with the legendary early resting place of Saint Botvid, whose remains were later said to have been moved to Botkyrka; this story also lies behind one, contested, explanation of the parish name.

The church has had several organs over the centuries, the most recent installed in 2021, reflecting a long history of rebuilding and renewal within an otherwise ancient shell.