Orkesta Church

Orkesta Church belongs to Vallentuna Parish and rises on a rolling plain surrounded by forests and cultivated land. Nearby lies Lindholmen Farm, which during the late Middle Ages was owned by the Vasa family – and according to an old tradition, Gustav Vasa was baptized here.

A church with medieval roots

The church's oldest parts, the eastern part of the nave and the choir with an apse, were erected as early as the late 1100s. The building is constructed of grey stone with corner chains of sandstone and has been extended and altered over the centuries. During the 1400s, a sacristy, weapon house and an extension of the nave were added, and brick vaults were built into the ceiling. Around 1460, the vaults were decorated with lime paintings that are visible today after being uncovered during a restoration in the early 1900s.

Among the church's furnishings, a triumphal crucifix from the mid-1300s stands out, now placed on the north wall of the choir. The altar pulpit is executed in rococo style and dates from a redesign in the 1750s, when pews and galleries were also added. In the southern part of the churchyard stands a bell tower that was probably erected in the 1600s, and at the southern entrance is a whitewashed brick stile from the 1790s.

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