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Vinköls kyrka

Address
Malmgatan 3, 53231, Skara
Municipality
Skara Kommun
Denomination
Church of Sweden
Associated diocese
Diocese of Skara

Vinköls kyrka is a 19th-century parish church in the village of Vinköl, in the Skara district of Västra Götaland. Built in an English cathedral style, it replaced a medieval church nearby and now serves the Ardala parish within the Diocese of Skara.



The present church was built between 1870 and 1872, designed by Ernst Jacobsson, an architect who had studied in England, and constructed by master builder Anders Pettersson of Värsås. Its cross-shaped plan, tall roof and five lancet windows in the chancel give it a Gothic, cathedral-like character unusual for a rural Swedish parish church of this period.

The church stands about 600 metres north-east of the site of its medieval predecessor, which was demolished around 1870 when the new building was completed. That earlier stone church had its own tower with two bells, and a runestone once stood in its churchyard wall; the stone has since been moved to the grounds of the village school.

The building has seen a number of changes over the years. A storm-damaged tower was replaced with a slightly lower one in the nineteenth century, and the roof was changed from wood shingles to slate. A significant renovation in 1931–1932, overseen by architect Sven Wranér, saw the church insulated and fitted with electric heating, its chimneys and north gallery removed, and the organ relocated to the south gallery. The churchyard was later extended, with a mortuary cellar and tool shed added around 1950.

Among the church's furnishings, the font is the most striking survival from the earlier medieval church, thought to be of Gotland workmanship. It is carved with several human figures, tentatively identified as possibly representing King Erik Eriksson and Bernard of Clairvaux, though this remains uncertain. The pulpit dates from the same period as the current church and was designed by Jacobsson himself, while the altar features a crucifix from the Stockholm firm AB Libraria. The original 1872 altarpiece was removed to a rectory storehouse in 1932.

The church's first organ, built in 1897 by Carl Axel Härngren of Lidköping, had six stops. It was replaced in 1977 by a mechanical organ from Smedmans Orgelbyggeri, though the façade is thought to derive from the earlier instrument or possibly from the original 1872 organ case.

Opening hours

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

Skara pastorat

Vinköls kyrka

Vinköls kyrka is a 19th-century parish church in the village of Vinköl, in the Skara district of Västra Götaland. Built in an English cathedral style, it replaced a medieval church nearby and now serves the Ardala parish within the Diocese of Skara.

Malmgatan 3, 53231, Skara

Explore this church: Vinköls kyrka

Church information: Svenska kyrkan, Platser · CC BY 4.0. Each church page includes its credits and visiting notes.

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View church details: Bärebergs kyrka
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Elings kyrka

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Vistorps kyrka

Vistorps kyrka, in the Vistorp area of Falköping in Västra Götaland, was built in 1882 to replace a medieval church that had become too small for its congregation. This guide draws on limited surviving sources…

View church details: Vistorps 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: 18 Apr 2023. This is not an independent verification date.

Source record: 478a6dfe-783b-4338-bbe7-5dea1f265b3b

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.

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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.