Kristin Schyllner
The church's history
In 1615 Lövstabruk got its first church, a small chapel, which is mentioned in a letter from the parish priest Magnus Ivari Leufstadius to the cathedral chapter in 1666. What this chapel looked like and where it was located is not known today. In the years that followed, the mill developed and the population increased greatly. The need for a new church was now great, even though there was a parish church in Österlövsta. Only around the year 1696 did the question of a new church premises become relevant again.
Shortly afterwards, the practice preacher Johan Novelius was hired. Since you finally got your own priest, it probably didn't take long until the plans for a new church building came to fruition. It should have been completed by 1703 at the latest. Already after a couple of decades, however, it was razed to the ground in connection with the Russian ravages on July 25, 1719. So was the parish church, which was only fully restored in 1726. After the reconstruction of workers' housing and workplaces was completed, a new church building could be tackled.
In 1727, the new church, which was not completely finished, could be inaugurated. The architect is Joseph Gabiel Destain and the church was paid for by the de Geer family. The sacristy was not completed until 1735. The mill was sold in 1917 to Gimo-Österby bruks AB and operations ceased in 1926 and the church was transferred in 1927 to Österlövsta parish.
The church's most famous and perhaps strangest inventory is undoubtedly the magnificent organ, completed in 1728 and is today well preserved and famous for its beautiful sound. It was built by Johan Niclas Cahman (born in 1679, died in 1737) – the country's foremost organ builder and perhaps one of Sweden's most significant of all time. According to the original contract, the organ was to include only the present main body and pedal body. However, the back positive should have been added at the same time, outside the contract. Of Cahman's larger organ works, only the one in Lövstabruk has been preserved to this day.
In its division into main body, back positive and independent pedal tower, the organ is also the only preserved example in Sweden of a baroque organ built according to all the rules of the art. Of the total of 27 parts, 10 are in the main work, 8 in the back positive and 10 in the pedal. With the exception of two pedal parts, the entire pipework consists of metal pipes.
In 1773, a thorough renovation was carried out. However, during the latter part of the 19th century, the organ almost fell into disrepair. In 1933, a thorough restoration was carried out and the organ was restored to playable condition. In connection with a major church renovation in 1962–1963, a complete conservation of the organ began. Later interventions were then restored. In 2006, a thorough documentation was carried out by organ consultant Carl Gustaf Lewenhaupt as well as a restoration. The organ was rededicated on June 21, 2006 by Archbishop Emeritus Gunnar Weman.