Skara Cathedral was probably built in the 11th century but only took on its Gothic appearance in the 14th century. It was restored between 1886 and 1894 by Helgo Zettervall. The cathedral contains the Gregorian manuscript of the Skara Missal, completed around 1150, which is considered to be the oldest notation of Swedish liturgical music.
The old Suntak Church is one of the best-preserved Romanesque churches in Sweden. The building was built in the mid-12th century from plastered and calcareous sandstone. The interior contains medieval wall paintings, the oldest of which can be dated to the end of the 14th century.
Mariestad Cathedral, built between 1593 and 1619, is not the main church in the diocese of Skara (that title is held by Skara Cathedral). The plan is that of a late neo-Gothic church, with crossed arms, lancet windows, pointed columns and internal white cross vaults. The chancel has a three-sided end and has been copied extensively in the diocese. The unadorned natural stone facades and the spire were only added in 1905 during the restoration by Folke Zettervall.
Erected as a royal church at the beginning of the 17th century, it took the place of an earlier church that was built in the 12th century. All that Magnus Brahe retained from the older church was the beautifully ornamented door to the sacristy.
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