Skip to main content

Tärna kyrka

Address
Tärna kyrkby, 733 93, Sala
Municipality
Sala kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Västerås

Tärna kyrka stands in Tärna kyrkby beside road 70 between Sala and Enköping, serving the parish of Kumla, Tärna and Kila. Its long history and mix of medieval and later features make it a rewarding stop for visitors interested in Swedish rural church architecture.



The origins of the church are somewhat uncertain: it is generally thought that the earliest stone church on this site was built in the 1200s, though other accounts point to around 1300 for the oldest surviving parts, which form the eastern section of the present nave. A worked timber beam, probably from that original building, survives in the loft above the sacristy.

Over the following centuries the church was altered several times. Vaults were added in the late medieval period along with a porch, and in 1756 the nave was extended westward by one bay. The present sacristy on the north side dates from 1775, replacing an earlier one. The most dramatic change came in 1897–98, when a thorough rebuilding removed the vaults, porch, and the upper parts of the walls and gables. A new three-sided choir, fresh vaults and a tower replacing an earlier bell frame were built at this time, giving the church its current neo-Gothic appearance. The roof trusses at the east and west ends are believed to be either late medieval or early seventeenth-century in origin, with the eastern trusses reused whole and the western ones assembled from older timber salvaged from elsewhere in the structure.

Among the church's furnishings is a large triumphal crucifix on the south wall, said to date from the 1300s, alongside an altarpiece from the 1700s. A censer surviving from the 1200s is a rare and notable object, while the font, made of cement imitating marble, dates only from 1898, part of the same late nineteenth-century renewal that reshaped much of the building.

The organ was built in 1899 by the Örebro firm E. A. Setterquist & Son, with twelve stops across two manuals and pedal. It was inspected by local organists before being inaugurated in July 1899, an occasion reportedly marked as a notable event in the parish at the time.

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.

Kumla, Tärna och Kila församling

Tärna kyrka

Tärna kyrka stands in Tärna kyrkby beside road 70 between Sala and Enköping, serving the parish of Kumla, Tärna and Kila. Its long history and mix of medieval and later features make it a rewarding stop for visitors interested in Swedish rural church architecture.

Tärna kyrkby, 733 93, Sala

Explore this church: Tärna 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

Sörsjöns kapell

Sörsjöns kapell, in the Dalarna village of Sörsjön, is a small chapel of the Church of Sweden within Lima-Transtrands parish. Built in 1954 to a design by architect Sven A. Söderholm, it is notable as…

Prästgården, 78064, Lima

View church details: Sörsjöns kapell
Basic listing

Säfsnäs kyrka

Säfsnäs kyrka is a wooden parish church at Säfsbyn in Dalarna, serving Gränge-Säfsnäs congregation within the Diocese of Västerås. It replaced an earlier octagonal chapel and remains a distinctive example of 18th-century Swedish church building.

Säfsbyn, 770 10, Fredriksberg

View church details: Säfsnäs 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: 2 Sep 2025. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 09e9004e-d03a-4275-bd00-75a284dc0ec9

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.