Alboga Church
Alboga, Ljung

Alboga Church

The church is partially obscured by the forest that reaches into the cemetery to the north and west. From the church hill, you can see Mösseberg and Ålleberg on the horizon to the north. The cemetery has medieval origins, but its current design was planned in 1896 when new walls were constructed alongside the new church. The Romanesque church from the 1100s was situated south of the current church on the eastern side and was demolished in 1893. The gatehouse was torn down in 1853 and replaced with gates.

The new Alboga Church was built in 1895.

Various locations were suggested for the church location, and the final decision was to build the church on the old church hill. Architect Folke Zettervall from the Royal Board of Public Building submitted a proposal, which included a higher chancel; however, this was rejected as too expensive. Instead, a new and larger bell was preferred. The drawing by builder Johansson was approved in March 1894, and the foundation was laid the following summer. The construction was largely carried out by parishioners, with three professional masons from Sandhult hired for the work.

The church was completed in 1895, featuring a stove and two church bells, one likely medieval from the old church and one new. The medieval baptismal font was also moved. The church has a simple neo-Romanesque appearance with unplastered ashlar stone facades and round-arched openings accented by classic stone toothings under the tower roof. Several similarly proportioned churches with neo-medieval designs clad in natural stone were built around the same time in the Västgötland region.

The new church is located slightly northwest of the old one, in an area where complaints had been made about water standing in the graves. Some claimed that the cause of all the moisture was that the church had been built on a sacrificial spring that was located within the walls of the old church. Moisture problems were recurring and were not completely resolved until renovations in 1997.

Einar Forseth designed a chancel window in 1955, which replaced the original altar cross.

The other chancel windows were fitted with antique glass in unusual colors of gray-black and light purple. A complete interior repainting was carried out around the same time, in a similar light color scheme, during which all previous decorative painting was removed.

Overall, however, the church remains remarkably untouched throughout its history and largely displays its original design.

The Old Church
The previous Romanesque stone church with a straight chancel was likely from the later part of the 1100s and measured approximately 9 x 5 meters. According to legend, it was built 50 years after Ods Church. In the southwest, there was a door with a wooden porch. Above it was a small window just below the eaves, and a large pointed-arched window was later added in the southeast. The gallery featured wooden carvings on the barrier and was painted, probably by the renowned church painter Detleff Ross. The pulpit was located in the south. The chancel was slightly lower than the nave and had a barrel vault with 15th-century frescoes. Similar decorations adorned at least the east wall of the nave. A bell tower was likely added in the 1500s. By that time, the church was in disrepair, but it was thoroughly renovated. A sacristy was added in the north in 1841. The last major repair was done in 1858, but maintenance then ceased. Eventually, the deterioration became so advanced that building a new church in 1891 was deemed the best option. This assessment was made by an impartial builder, L. E. Pettersson. The old church was inventoried before it was demolished in 1893. Both gunpowder and dynamite were required to deal with the well-built walls. The furnishings were auctioned off as customary, but at least the baptismal font and the church bell were moved to the new church.

You are warmly welcome to Alboga Church.