Lövånger Kyrkstad is a historic church town in Sweden, which is one of the oldest preserved of its kind. The houses are painted in the typical Falun red and with their yellow shutters they look centuries more modern. But this “Kyrkstad” is also centuries old, the first houses were probably built in 1642.
During the Protestant Reformation in Sweden in the 16th century, there were high demands on church attendance. Parishioners had to attend household audits and services regularly. The aim was to effectively teach the most important parts of the Christian faith to the entire Swedish population. The church required that all parishioners attend church on all Sundays as well as on all church holidays. In the northernmost part of Sweden, where parishes could be very large, it was difficult to keep this strict rule. In 1861, a regulation on church attendance was introduced: Those who lived within 10 km of the church would attend every Sunday; those who lived 10-20 km from the church would attend every second Sunday; 20-30 km every third Sunday, etc. If no one from the household showed up according to the requirements, the master could be fined. The farmers from further afield built church towns with huts, sheds and stables on church land to meet the requirements.
Translated by Google •
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