Habo Church

Habo church was rebuilt in timber in the 1720s as a wide hall with a free-standing bell tower, and in 1741 and 1742 two painters, Johan Kinnerus and Johan Christian Peterson, covered the inside of it - walls, ceiling, galleries, pews - with painted scenes illustrating Luther's catechism, framed in painted architecture and marbling. Nothing was left plain. The style is provincial and vigorous rather than refined, which is why it is usually described as peasant baroque, and the whole scheme has survived without being overpainted or stripped. The exterior is red boarding and shingles and gives no hint of what is inside.

Background

The church was built in 1680 and took on its present appearance in 1723. Although it is made entirely of wood, it is laid out as a basilica, a tall nave between two lower side aisles, which gives it the look of a cathedral and the nickname Träkatedralen vid Vättern, the Wooden Cathedral Near Vättern. Both of the painters who decorated the interior came from Jönköping. In 2002 the Swedish Post Office put Habo Church on one of four Christmas stamps in a series called Romantic Churches at Christmastime, alongside churches at Kiruna and Sundborn and the Tensta Bell Tower.

Source: Wikipedia, "Habo Church"

The main sights

• Every interior surface painted - walls, ceiling, galleries, pews.
• Luther's catechism illustrated - the programme of the scheme.
• Work of 1741 and 1742 - by Kinnerus and Peterson.
• A plain red boarded exterior - and a free-standing bell tower.

When to go

May to September for reliable opening. An hour.

Before you go

Winter opening is limited and it may be locked outside services. The interior is dim and hard to photograph. It is a single room - the visit is short. Habo village has few services.

Nearby

Jonkoping is south; Lake Vattern is east.

Key facts