Rya church ruin
Rya church ruin in the night.
Rya church ruin or Rya old church is a ruin located in Rya parish in Örkelljunga municipality in Skåne. It is located 600 meters southeast of the E4 and 2 kilometers southwest of Rya new church which was inaugurated in 1875.

Rya old church was built in the late 12th century or early 13th century. Possibly it was the monks at Herrevad monastery who built the church. When the new church was built, it was decided to abandon the old church, and in 1876 a public auction of the furniture was held.

The church ruin is 23 meters long in an east-west direction and 8 meters wide. The length of the nave is 16.5 meters and the chancel to the east is 6 meters. Along the south wall of the nave is a nave that is 4 times 6 meters large. The walls are built of gray stone, are over a meter thick and up to eight meters high. There was a tower over the west side of the nave. Around the ruin is a desolate cemetery with some tombstones and tomb crosses of cast iron. The cemetery is surrounded by a cold-walled stone wall.

From the beginning, the church had a flat wooden ceiling which in the 15th century was replaced by cross arches in brick. The interior of the medieval church was simple, and until the new church was inaugurated, the floor in the nave of the nave and in the chancel consisted of rough oak boards, and the later bench blocks of cobblestones. The church did not have pews until after the Reformation. Before that, the congregation stood or knelt during the entire service.

In summer, the church ruin is now used for services, baptisms, weddings and as a road church. A modern wooden belfry was erected west of the ruin in 1968. In the ruin there are wooden benches and a wooden altar table.

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