Västerplana kyrka

12th century church dedicated to the Virgin Mary

The church was built in the 12th century and consecrated to the Virgin Mary. The older east-west oriented church was replaced by a north-south oriented church by building transepts in the early 18th century. Bishop Bengt the Good donated a baptismal font to the church, one of the finest in the diocese.

The church's wooden sculpture of the Virgin Mary dates from the 13th century and has retained its original appearance and is much talked about and celebrated. Opposite the Madonna is a medieval sculpture of St. John the Baptist. The church has many remarkable reliefs, including a bishop's image. The murals in the old choir were added in the 1630s.

In the old chancel there is also a remarkable stone baptismal font, which is believed to have been donated to Västerplana church by Bishop Bengt the Good in the 12th century. The font is decorated with many images and symbols, including the seal of Bishop Bengt the Good, an equal-armed cross with inverted lilies in the corners.

The pulpit is from 1636. It is decorated with many carvings and pictures and sixteen tablets, most of them with biblical texts. The ceiling paintings in the church were added in the 18th century and are inspired by the so-called Läckö School.

Västerplana Church is one of the churches that has been spared major restorations and changes. Since 1737, the church has retained its appearance both inside and out until 1985 when it was restored and the exterior was whitewashed.

In the Church Guide app you can read more about the churches and use it as a guide when you are on site, read more and download it here.

By train (Kinnekulletåget/Västtågen)With Västtågen (Kinnekulletåget) you can get to this destination by getting off at Blomberg station, from where you can reach Västerplana church by a 3.3 km hike. Search Västtrafik's travel planner either on the web or in the Västtrafik To Go app.

For questions or more information, please visit www.vasttrafik.se

With Närtrafik (local public transport via Västtrafik)

Local traffic is ideal for travel in rural areas. It picks you up at an address of your choice in a specific area and takes you to a stop (see all stops here) within the same municipality.

Here's how it works:

• Call 0771-91 90 90 at least 1 hour before you want to travel (within fixed time slots - see map & times)
• Costs as a regular single ticket.
• Pay in the app, in cash or by card.
• Senior cards are valid (with card inspection), but Västtrafik's season tickets are not valid.

Map & times for local traffic can be found here