S:t Tomas kyrka, Vällingby, Stockholm
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Architect: Peter Celsing
Built in: 1958-1960
Client: The Diocese of Stockholm
St. Thomas Church was designed by architect Peter Celsing and inaugurated in 1960. The building is built out of bricks from Helsingborg, and inside you will find a wooden crucifix by the artist Bror Hjorth.
The Church is situated in the fifties suburb, Vällingby, where the center was opened in 1954. Sven Markelius had the primary responsibility for the planning of Vällingby center and a church was originally included in those plans. The Church Council gave the job to design the new church to the architects Backström and Reinius, which had designed a series of buildings in the area. After their resignation, Celsing got commissioned to design the church.
The planning went on for more than six years. During this time Peter Celsing and the President of the Church Council, Lennart Håkansson, worked to reconcile the church requirements with Celsing’s aesthetics. First in 1958 could the construction work begin.
The Masonry work was carried out, on Celsing’s proposal, by students to keep the cost down, and to give the walls a more irregular and living form. The parish house, located next to the church is based on sketches by Peter Celsing. It was finalized after Celsing’s death by Per Ahrbom and built in 1975-77.
