Rölanda is a parish in the north western corner of Sweden that borders Norway. Household Survey records show that the Arvidsson family originated in this parish and were recorded as living there in the 1750s and as there was no new industrial activity in this rural area it is quite likely they lived there for many decades or perhaps centuries before the 1700s

We know by the survey records that the Anders Arvidsson lived at a small farm called Smedbyn in Rölanda parish. Roughly translated as ‘Blacksmiths Village”

Family Surnames from Rölanda

Click here for a list of ancestors living in Rölanda

The following graphic shows the surnames of relatives from Rölanda and the number of individuals with that surname. There are 18 individuals in our family tree from Rölanda.

Rölanda Church

The white plastered church, with preserved medieval parts, is located on the slope of a celebratory plate near the Örekilsälven valley at the edge of a rolling farming landscape.

At the church there is a smaller parish center with an interesting vicarage. The priest’s estate has probably been in the current place as a church estate since 1670. Characteristic of the cemetery is that all graves are facing east.

The church is considered to be built in the 13th century and has a similar building history as several Dalsland medieval stone churches with the extension of a three-sided annex during the 1600’s and 1700’s. Especially for the church in Rölanda, however, the tall West Tower is functionalist style, erected in 1937 and well preserved in original design.

Essential parts of the church room’s interior were renewed during the 1930’s and 40’s when new bench interior, pulpit, stands breast and organ were added. The church room has a bright and spacious character and with recurring marbles in gray colors.

The church’s older interior features a medieval baptismal font and an altarpiece in provincial baroque style, by the sculptor Nils Falk in 1730. The pulpit is from 1936 and designed by architect Tor Engloo from Stockholm, who also designed the tower.

The stands in the west are supported by fourteen grey marbled columns with cut dark green and gilded capitals. The stands were partly rebuilt in 1936 when the parapet got its current design with portrait paintings. These depict different people from the history of the Swedish Church, J O Wallin, Jesper Svedberg, Olaus Petri, F M Fransén, and J A Eklund.

https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/dals-ed/rolanda-kyrka