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Saxemara kyrka

Address
Skärgårdsvägen 1, 37297, RONNEBY
Municipality
Ronneby Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Lund

Saxemara kyrka is a parish church in the village of Saxemara in Blekinge, built in the late 1930s to designs by architect Herbert Kockum. Among its notable features is Olle Hjortzberg's altarpiece depicting Christ calling his disciples.



The church was built between 1937 and 1939 in plastered brick, comprising a rectangular nave with an eastern chancel and a west tower. The tower's design is said to echo the Church of the Holy Cross in Ronneby, an intentional reference by the architect, who may also have sought to recreate a form of visible roof structure thought to have originally existed at Ronneby before Gothic vaulting was installed there in the fourteenth century.

Inside, the open roof construction with its heavy crossbeams and curved struts is a striking feature, evoking shipbuilding and giving the impression of looking up into the keel of a boat, a maritime theme fitting for a community that in the 1930s still relied heavily on the sea for its livelihood. Kockum also designed the altar rail, pulpit and pews, giving the interior a unified appearance.

The altarpiece, painted in 1938 by professor Olle Hjortzberg, shows Christ walking towards the viewer through a fishing settlement, past boats and a jetty. Although the subject recalls the Sea of Galilee, the setting is in fact drawn from the Blekinge coastline, tying the biblical scene to local life.

The font, carved in 1937 at Fondell's stonemasonry in Bräkne-Hoby to Kockum's design, carries a short inscription entrusting children to Christ's care. Above the central aisle hangs a votive ship, a model of the barque Ester, donated to the church in 1943; according to tradition it was made by a harbour captain from Simrishamn and given by his sister, a local schoolteacher.

The church also has an organ built in 1947 by A. Mårtensson's Orgelfabrik of Lund, a pneumatic instrument of modest size typical of Swedish parish churches of the period.

Opening hours

Opening hours have not been confirmed for the current date. This does not mean the church is closed.

Additional opening information is awaiting translation. Check the official visitor-information link before travelling.

Check access with the parish before travelling. Services and seasonal changes can affect visits.

Facilities & accessibility

  • Toilet
  • Hearing loop

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

Ronneby pastorat

Saxemara kyrka

Saxemara kyrka is a parish church in the village of Saxemara in Blekinge, built in the late 1930s to designs by architect Herbert Kockum. Among its notable features is Olle Hjortzberg's altarpiece depicting Christ calling his disciples.

Skärgårdsvägen 1, 37297, RONNEBY

Explore this church: Saxemara 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

Elleholms kyrka

Elleholms kyrka is a timber-framed church on a small island at the mouth of the Mörrum River in Blekinge, dating from the early eighteenth century. Popular today for baptisms and weddings, it stands on a…

Karlshamnsvägen 6, 37533, Mörrum

View church details: Elleholms 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: 7 Jan 2026. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 366edb89-c968-4af8-89a1-a6fb1bcfd538

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.