Torsby kyrka stands near the village of Kärna, southwest of Kungälv in Bohuslän. Though the present church dates from the mid-19th century, its tower is medieval, and Torsby is the largest of four parishes forming today's Torsby pastorat.
The church's history stretches back to the 1300s, when it is mentioned in written records including Bishop Eystein's land register. Little of that early building survives above ground, but the striking seventeen-metre tower is one of only four medieval stone towers in the diocese, its lower stonework topped by a five-metre timber-framed upper section added in the 1700s. A spiral staircase cut into the stone on the tower's north side, known as the 'munkagången' (the monks' walk), leads up through the tower in a curved passage.
The medieval church that once stood beside this tower was demolished in 1851 to make way for a new neoclassical nave with a squared-off chancel, designed by the architect Carl Gustaf Blom Carlsson. The building was rendered white outside and roofed with tile, and its present appearance dates largely from a 1949 restoration. A separate room was created in 1990 for those wishing to follow the service apart from the main congregation, linked by loudspeaker and windows into the church.
Among the church's furnishings is a font carved from mica schist in the early 1100s, its rounded bowl decorated with figures illustrating the theme of redemption, including Christ amid foliage, his baptism, his descent into the underworld, and, it is thought, his resurrection alongside Adam and Eve. The font is damaged in places but forms part of a small group unique to Bohuslän, shared only with the font at Mo kyrka; both have been attributed to the same unknown carver, referred to by one researcher as the 'Torsby master'.
A triumphal crucifix carved in oak, dating from the mid-to-late 1200s, once hung on the triumphal arch of the old church and now hangs above the entrance to the sacristy. It was restored in 1901, when the hands were replaced, and stripped of its remaining paint during the 1949 restoration, so it is now shown unpainted. The pulpit, carved in Baroque style with a sounding board in 1692 by the sculptor Nils Läns, was brought over from the earlier church, while the altarpiece was designed by Blom-Carlsson to match the 1851 building.
The organ was rebuilt in 1990 by Marcussen & Søn, incorporating some older pipework, and has 21 stops across two manuals and pedal.
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A listed ramp does not confirm step-free access throughout the building.
Marstrand-Torsby pastorat
Marstrand-Torsby pastorat
Torsby kyrka stands near the village of Kärna, southwest of Kungälv in Bohuslän. Though the present church dates from the mid-19th century, its tower is medieval, and Torsby is the largest of four parishes forming today's Torsby pastorat.
Torsby 170, 44273, Kärna
Explore this church: Torsby kyrkaChurch information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.
On Vrångö there is a church, Vrångö kyrka, which also serves as a parish hall. It is a white wooden church in the middle of the village, with the playground opposite.
Brattenvägen 48-50
View church details: Vrångö kyrkaMorlanda kyrka, on the island of Orust in Bohuslän, is one of the region's most interesting medieval churches. Its origins are uncertain, but it dates from the early medieval period, and it remains in regular…
Morlandavägen 125, 474 93, Ellös
View church details: Morlanda kyrkaTorslanda kyrka stands on Hisingen, in the Torslanda-Björlanda parish of the Church of Sweden in Gothenburg. Its oldest parts probably date from the late 1100s or early 1200s, making it one of the older surviving…
Torslanda kyrkväg, 423 32, Torslanda
View church details: Torslanda kyrkaMunkegärdekyrkan, in Kungälv, is the newest church of its parish, built at the end of the twentieth century. It combines contemporary architecture with an active weekday community life alongside its Sunday worship.
Munkegärde Centrum 1
View church details: MunkegärdekyrkanSources, credits and English adaptations are identified on each church page. Provider data: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0.
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: 25 Jun 2026. This is not an independent verification date.
Source record: d5d9c896-ea6f-4814-aa18-d4c124e1dd78
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.