Össeby-Garn Church

Össeby-Garns Church is located in Vallentuna Municipality, on a hilltop at the northern end of the lake Garnsviken near the outlet of the Husaån River. The church belongs to Össeby Parish in the Diocese of Stockholm. The name has its roots in a parish merger in 1838, when Össeby and Garn were combined – the original Össeby Church was abandoned thereafter and is today a ruin.

A medieval stone church with layers of history

The present stone church was built during the 13th century, probably on the site of an earlier wooden church. The choir and sacristy are the church's oldest preserved parts, from the beginning of the 13th century, while the stone nave was added by the middle of the same century at the latest. The vaults and wall paintings in the church interior belong to a later period, and the porch with its heavy oak plank doors with iron fittings from the late medieval period was added in the 15th century or later. The wall paintings in the church interior, which were long hidden under plaster, were uncovered during restorations in the 20th century.

Among the furnishings are a baptismal font with a sandstone bowl from the middle of the 13th century, originally taken from Össeby Church, and a medieval triumphal crucifix from the 14th century that serves as an altar ornament. In the south wall of the sacristy is a late medieval oak sacrament cabinet with ironwork, and a wooden sculpture depicting Mary from the first half of the 16th century testifies to the church's long artistic heritage.

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