On the cliff above the city square stands St. Botvid’s Church where we hold services every week and opposite the church is the parish hall where most other activities take place.
In the early fifties, plans for a new church took shape. The decade had started in an eventful way. Oxelösund became its own town and St. Nicolai parish was divided between Nyköping and Oxelösund. A plot of land was donated by the Grängesberg company and after an architectural competition, Rolf Bergh from Stockholm was commissioned to design the new church. Soon there were drawings and a very unusual church building began to take shape. A landmark, built in concrete with a golden cross as a navigational marker.
The year was 1957 and a new church was inaugurated in the center of Oxelösund. It was named after the east coast’s patron saint Botvid. The church rises as a navigational mark and contains many symbols of humanity’s dramatic journeys through life.
St. Botvid’s Church is open from 9 AM to 4 PM. Welcome in for a moment of quiet and peace. To the right in the church, by the book table, there is a guide band where you can choose to listen to a few minutes of information about the church.
The Building
The church is visible from afar both from land, sea, and air. Like a lighthouse showing the way for ships at sea, the church wants to show the way to God and remind of His good intentions with us. Stand there on the rock and constantly protect life, warn of life’s risks, and show the way to the good life made possible through Jesus Christ. Many have been surprised that the church is built of concrete. Often concrete is hidden behind stucco or tiles. In St. Botvid’s Church, the concrete’s own values stand out – strength, solidity, and authenticity.
The Light
The real daylight is important for St. Botvid’s Church. The windows and the light dome in the ceiling are large and clean surfaces. They do not separate the church from the outside world but let in the light through large stained glass windows. The artist is Tore Bergh and with warm colors, he tells of the saint Botvid’s missionary work and the building of new churches.
Altar
The altar in St. Botvid is a stone table and the center of the church. Behind the altar is the “Ship of Life”, a wood relief made by the sculptor Åke Jönsson. In the stern are three representatives from the Old Testament, in the middle, we see the birth of Jesus and in the bow, the angel of Easter morning points the direction of the journey. There is a future and a hope.
Art and Craft
The silversmith Sigurd Persson has made the altar silver: candlesticks, flower vases, chalice, paten, wine jug, and wafer dish.
Benny Johansson silversmith at Firma CESON guldvaru AB, has made the altar cross, commissioned by Anna-Stina Åberg, who designed the same.
Barbro and Anders Norling have made the baptismal jug and donated it to the congregation. The meditation pictures are a gift from icon painter Eva Horne and they tell of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The chancel carpet binds the altar and congregation together. It is composed by textile artist Christina Schubert-Håkansson and depicts the story in the Gospel of Luke about how Jesus calls Peter to be a disciple. The baptismal font is of limestone with mosaics on the top and crafted by Britta Jakobsson-Jönsson.
The Organ
In 1990, St. Botvid’s Church received a new organ, the so-called “Grönlund organ”. The organ is designed by architect Ulf Oldaeus, built by Grönlund’s organ workshop in Gammelstad, and decorated by the artist Tore Bergh.
The Carillon
High up in the tower is St. Botvid’s carillon. The foundation for the carillon was donated by AB Centrifugalrör and the church’s sewing association collected money for the bells themselves. The carillon’s 24 bells were installed in 1969 and play a hymn or song every day at 9, 12, 3, and 6 o’clock.