Eva Margareta Spångberg (2 April 1923 – 8 November 2011) was a Swedish sculptor. She made a large number of wooden sculptures for Swedish churches, and was born in

Östhammar Municipality Östhammar Municipality () is a municipalities of Sweden, municipality in Uppsala County in east central Sweden. Its seat is located in the city status in Sweden, city of Östhammar. The present municipality was created during the local governmen ...

. Her family was not particularly religious, but she started attending church on her own from an early age. After graduating from school she wanted to study medicine but her grades were insufficient, and she instead entered a school to become a nurse. However she contracted

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

during her studies and consequently was forced to abandon them. At that time she had already started to practice

woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinetry, furniture making, wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked b ...

and was making sculptures at home. She received a

stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...

to study wood sculpting in

Oberammergau Oberammergau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. The small town on the Ammer River is known for its woodcarvers and woodcarvings, for its NATO School, and around the world for its 380-year tradition of ...

in Germany for a year. When she returned to Sweden, she received her first commission from the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden () is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.5 million members at year end 2023, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sweden, the largest List ...

, to make a

crucifix A crucifix (from the Latin meaning '(one) fixed to a cross') is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...

for a church, , in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

. During her life, she eventually made more than 500 wooden sculptures for churches in Sweden and around the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

, including

Storkyrkan Storkyrkan (, ), also called Stockholms domkyrka (Stockholm Cathedral) and Sankt Nikolai kyrka (Church of Saint Nicholas), is the oldest church in Stockholm. Storkyrkan lies in the centre of Stockholm in Gamla stan, between Stockholm Palace and ...

(the cathedral of

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

) and

Växjö Cathedral Växjö Cathedral () is a cathedral in Växjö, Sweden. It is the seat of the Diocese of Växjö, Bishop of Växjö within the Church of Sweden. According to legend, the cathedral was founded by Sigfrid of Sweden, Saint Sigfrid of Sweden. The fi ...

. Her works include

nativity scene In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene, crib, crèche ( or ), or in Italian ''presepio'' or ''presepe'', or Bethlehem) is the special exhibition, particularly during the Christmastide, Christmas season, of ar ...

s, Madonnas and other biblical subjects. In a vote conducted among the readers of the official magazine of the Church of Sweden, she was voted the most important woman within the Church of Sweden during the 20th century. Her former home in

Sävsjö Municipality Sävsjö Municipality () is a municipality in Jönköping County, southern Sweden where the town Sävsjö is seat. The municipality was created by the local government reform of 1971, when the ''City of Sävsjö'' (instituted as late as 1947) w ...

, Björkelund, is today a museum about her life and work.

References

Further reading