Posted by The church of Skälvums is an old church dating back to the 11th century. The church is rather small but it does have some old paintings on the walls of the church which has been restored. The paintings date back to the catholic period in Sweden and were painted over when Sweden went through the reformation and changed the religion to the Lutheran faith leaving the catholic faith behind.
The new religion wanted purity and this was best given with white walls inside the church so the people heading to the church could focus of the words of the priest who would actually be speaking in the native Swedish so the people could understand the service – unlike the previous catholic services which had all been performed in Latin which hardly anybody but the priest would understand.
The church is one of the few churches which have survived in its original form without much redecoration during almost a millennium making it an example of what the historic churches would have looked like in Sweden during this period.
The church of Skälvums is a rather small church but if you are driving around Vänern Lake it is worth stopping for a little bit to have a look at the inside of the church which is open to the public.
FrejaTravels 