Even today, much of the landscape of Sweden is covered in woodland. While the traditional style of Stave churches is more abundant in neighboring Norway, Sweden also has a number of religious heritage sites made of wood. Not all of these wooden churches are "true Stave churches", however, many of them stem from the 12th century giving way to a number of wooden church building techniques that inspired several other sites across Europe.
Built in the 17th century to replace a medieval church in the same place, the new church still contains a baptismal font dating from the Middle Ages. The altarpiece was created in northern Germany in the early 17th century and the wood-carved pulpit with canopy dates from 1670.
The Södra Råda Gamla Church used to be a timbered church from the beginning of the 14th century. It was one of the oldest preserved wooden churches in Sweden and it was especially known for its wonderful preserved paintings which covered the walls and ceiling. The oldest images were dated from 1323. The works were considered one of the best-preserved Scandinavian paintings from the Middle Ages. On the 12th of November 2001, the church burned down. A man, who was mentally ill, was convicted for enlighting the fire which had destroyed the church. Since then, a project led by the Swedish National Heritage Board has been excavating the site and reconstructing the church. They decided to only use medieval methods to reconstruct everything.
The Gällivare Church is a wooden church building which was inaugurated in February 1882, replacing an older church. The wooden church was built in 1878-1882 according to the plans of the architect Emil Viktor Langlet. A reconstruction was carried out in 1966-1967 according to the plans of Bengt Romare when the arms of the eastern and western cross were extended.
The Kiruna church, designed by the architect Gustaf Wickman, was built between 1909 and 1912. Inspired by Norwegian stave churches, its interior, on the other hand, features Art Nouveau elements, such as the altar, painted by Prince Eugene.
The Karesuando Church is a wooden church building in the North of Sweden, at the border with Finland. The church is the northernmost church of the country. The church was built in 1816 after Sweden lost the war with Russia. Borders were remarked and the main town of Markkina became Finnish. This meant that Sweden needed a new principal town and parish and Karuesando was chosen. The church was replaced in 1905 and restored to its present state in 1954.
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