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Västerhejde kyrka

Address
Stenkumla församling Vibble gård Drejaregatan 1
Municipality
Gotland
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Visby

Västerhejde kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, now part of Stenkumla församling. It stands within Visby stift and is best known for its distinctive stepped-gable tower, a striking later addition to an otherwise Romanesque building.



The nave and chancel apse show Romanesque characteristics suggesting construction in the early 1200s, with the tower added around the mid-thirteenth century. Although the stepped gables might suggest the Danish period (1361–1645), they were in fact only added in 1856, designed by the architect Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander, replacing an earlier pointed spire. Further changes followed in the 1860s, when a medieval south door in the chancel was removed and replaced with a large window; a sacristy was added in 1884.

Inside, the church retains a flat wooden ceiling and much furnishing dating from the seventeenth century, including the pews and organ gallery, the latter painted by Abraham Beck. The pulpit was decorated in 1672 at the expense of a local judge, Lundsberg, who also donated the richly carved sandstone font of 1681. An earlier medieval font, dated to around 1240, was rediscovered in the churchyard in the 1850s after apparently being used as a garden flowerpot; it is now kept at Gotlands fornsal museum in Visby.

The altarpiece, depicting the Crucifixion, was painted by Johan Bartsch in 1662. A further painting of the Resurrection, by Fredric Westin (1853), is traditionally said to have been a gift from Princess Eugenie, though this attribution rests on local tradition rather than documented certainty.

Among the church's silverware is a chalice made by Bernt Falkegren of Visby in 1773, alongside a pewter wine jug of 1856. The organ case dates from 1870, built by Åkerman & Lund and reportedly also a gift from Princess Eugenie, whose monogram decorates the façade; the mechanism itself was rebuilt in 1980 by J. Künkels Orgelverkstad within the older case.

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.

Stenkumla församling

Västerhejde kyrka

Västerhejde kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, now part of Stenkumla församling. It stands within Visby stift and is best known for its distinctive stepped-gable tower, a striking later addition to an otherwise Romanesque building.

Stenkumla församling Vibble gård Drejaregatan 1

Explore this church: Västerhejde 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

Guldrupe kyrka

Guldrupe kyrka is a medieval parish church standing in the countryside of central Gotland, part of Vänge församling within the Diocese of Visby. Its weathered limestone walls and steep pyramidal tower roof reflect centuries of…

622 34, Romakloster

View church details: Guldrupe kyrka
Basic listing

Fårö kyrka

Fårö kyrka stands near the middle of Fårö, off northern Gotland, and is one of the island's more altered churches in appearance. Its medieval origins are still present beneath later enlargements made after fire damage…

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View church details: Fårö kyrka
Basic listing

Atlingbo kyrka

Atlingbo kyrka is a medieval parish church on Gotland, part of Vall, Hogrän och Atlingbo församling within Visby diocese. According to old Gutalagen tradition it once served as an asylum church, offering forty days' sanctuary…

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View church details: Atlingbo 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: 9 Jun 2022. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 905187f0-8985-485d-be56-97eba0113028

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

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Photographs are credited individually with their own licence or permission. The API data licence does not automatically cover photographs. No images are imported automatically.