Sofia Magdalena Church. That is the name of Arjeplog’s beautiful pink church that so many have fallen in love with over the years. It is situated on a peninsula in Lake Hornavan, right next to Arjeplog’s square. The church’s surroundings bear the marks of time and testify to how Arjeplog, its people, and the conditions of the place have changed. For example, the church’s lakeside location on the peninsula reflects a time when there were no roads, and the waterway was crucial. The 18th-century cruciform church is still clearly discernible behind the extensions and restorations made in more modern times.
Sofia Magdalena Church was constructed in the summer of 1641 by decree of Sweden’s then-regent, Queen Christina. The original church had a tamped earth floor, beneath which the deceased were buried. Two gravestones are still preserved in the church floor. These gravestones are memorials for the children of Aegidius Otto, the mining bailiff of the Nasafjäll silver mine.
Our current church is the second one on the same site, built in the 1760s as a timber cruciform church with the main entrance from the lakeside in the west. At that time, the church was painted red. It acquired its current national romantic appearance during a radical renovation in the late 19th century, when the choir was moved from the east end of the church to the west, and it was given its distinctive pink color.
You can either book a guided tour or explore on your own. The church is open for visitors during the daytime.
