Mässten

Several traditions are linked to the Mass.

This is where the border between Söderbärke and Norrbärke parishes was. It is said that during their boat trip from Söderbärke to Kapellförsamlingen, the priests would have stopped and held mass here.

In 1697, a decree was passed establishing an execution site for the two parishes just west of Mässten, and according to legend, the name Mässten comes from the fact that the priest administered communion to the condemned man before his execution. There are documents stating that at least seven people were sentenced to death and executed here, the last execution being a man in 1858. Folklore accounts tell of many more people having their heads cut off near this mass stone.