Envikens Gamla Kyrka

Envikens Gamla Kyrka, built between 1669 and 1671, is today completely in the same condition as it was at the end of the 19th century - without electricity and with a large stove for heating. Another unusual aspect of the church is that, for once, it was not built on the initiative of the clergy.

The building of the Envikens Gamla Kyrka

At that time, Enviken still belonged to the parish in Svärdsjö, which meant that the farmers in and around Enviken had to travel an arduous distance of around 20 kilometres to the church in Svärdsjö. This was not only for the Sunday services, but also for the burial of their deceased, who found their final resting place far away from their relatives in the churchyard in Svärdsjö. In addition, the paths were softened by melting snow and rain in spring and autumn and were hardly passable.

A request to build a church in Enviken was, however, rejected by the bishop in 1651, whereupon the inhabitants of Enviken took matters into their own hands and built their own church without permission from the king and bishop. The royal building permit was finally granted afterwards, so that Envikens Gamla Kyrka could be consecrated on April 16, 1673. The diocese imposed a fine of six barrels of charcoal on each of the wayward peasants, which they had to pay to the church in Svärdsjö and the hospital in Falun. The conflict between the two churches continued until Enviken was separated from Svärdsjö in 1864 and became a parish in its own right.

Envikens Gamla Kyrka over time

Envikens Gamla Kyrka is a somewhat larger chapel with a nave and an attached sacristy on the north side and a small vestibule on the south side. The eastern gable wall forms the straight end of the chancel, and a square bell tower is enthroned on the ridge at the western end of the nave.

The exterior walls were built in block construction from horizontal wooden beams, clad on the outside with wooden shingles and painted in the typical Faluröd colour. The interior walls and the barrel-vaulted ceiling of the nave are clad in whitewashed wooden panels. The roof is covered with tar-soaked wooden shingles.

Envikens Gamla Kyrka received its final exterior form in 1781, when the church was extended a few metres to the west. In the process, it received its present bell tower and additional windows. During further alterations and renovations between 1871 and 1886, the current windows were installed and the organ with wooden organ pipes was installed in the gallery, which extends far into the church. The floor was renewed, the pulpit received its present-day painting in gold and white and the large iron stove was installed.

In the 1890s, consideration began for the construction of a new church and maintenance of Envikens Gamla Kyrka was reduced to a minimum, so that today the old wooden church still looks as it did back in 1886. There is no electricity, the only source of heat is the large wood-burning stove, and to operate the organ, the bellows still have to be operated with the feet.

From 1921, the church was no longer used during the winter and services were held in the local community hall. Today, the old church is maintained as an architectural monument under the direction of the State Office of Monuments. Since the new church in Enviken was consecrated in 1957, Envikens Gamla Kyrka has had more of a museum character. However, it is still used for occasional church services, weddings, baptisms and musical arrangements during the summer months and is also open for visits during the summer.