Skip to main content

Vårby Gårds kyrka

Address
Vårby allé 5, 143 40, Vårby
Municipality
Huddinge Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Stockholm

On a slope leading down towards Lake Mälaren, next to a Viking-age burial ground, stands Vårby Gårds kyrka. Consecrated in 1975, this striking modern church in Huddinge is notable for its distinctive architecture and colour scheme, and remains in use for multilingual worship today.



The church complex was designed by architect Harald Thafvelin and is considered one of Sweden's earliest postmodern buildings, its colourful and imaginative design provoking considerable debate at the time. The site is arranged in an east-west orientation and comprises three elements: the church itself, a six-storey parish building with a plain red-brick façade, and a freestanding wooden bell tower positioned between them. Since 1990 the building has been protected under Swedish heritage legislation.

While the parish building presents a tall, austere face of red brick towards the road, the church itself is low, with varied white-brick façades and steep, deeply overhanging roofs. Every twelfth course of brickwork is laid in a patterned bond using transverse bricks, creating a subtle shadow effect across the walls. The entrance on the south side is sheltered by a canopy of rough concrete.

Inside, natural materials dominate: limestone flooring, concrete and brick walls, and timber-panelled ceilings divided into pyramid-shaped sections. Thick pillars in the nave echo simplified Greek columns with capitals, reflecting Thafvelin's interest in Greek design when planning the building.

The layout is unconventional, with the church oriented north-south and the altar positioned in the northern part of the room, allowing the congregation to gather around it during communion, as though at a shared table. According to the Wikipedia source, Bishop Ingmar Ström insisted the altar face east for the 1975 consecration ceremony, though it has otherwise stood facing north.

Notable furnishings include textiles by Christina Westman, a crucifix by silversmith Birger Haglund, and a baptismal bowl by silversmith Martin Öhman. The mechanical organ, built in 1978 by Walther Thür Orgelbyggen AB of Torshälla, has thirteen stops.

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
  • Charging station
  • Hearing loop

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

Flemingsberg-Vårby församling

Vårby Gårds kyrka

On a slope leading down towards Lake Mälaren, next to a Viking-age burial ground, stands Vårby Gårds kyrka. Consecrated in 1975, this striking modern church in Huddinge is notable for its distinctive architecture and colour scheme, and remains in use for multilingual worship today.

Vårby allé 5, 143 40, Vårby

Explore this church: Vårby Gårds 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

Altorps kapell

Altorps kapell is a chapel in Danderyd parish, on Djursholm cemetery in the Stockholm area. Used mainly for funerals, both religious and civil, it also hosts a well-attended service at All Saints' tide each year.

Ymervägen 55, 182 67, Djursholm

View church details: Altorps kapell
Basic listing

Adolf Fredriks kyrka

Adolf Fredriks kyrka stands at a busy Stockholm crossroads near Sveavägen, its calm neoclassical form a landmark since the 1770s. Built to replace an older wooden chapel, it is known for fine sculpture, a notable…

Holländargatan 14, 11160, STOCKHOLM

View church details: Adolf Fredriks 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: 23 Jan 2026. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 055ce177-38b5-4666-a991-98c3bdcfeb15

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.