Archaeological excavations conducted in 2019–2021 have revealed the remains of one of the largest Romanesque churches in the diocese of Skara. According to a papal letter from Pope Honorius III, the church was erected to commemorate the martyrdom of a local priest, Nils, or Nicolaus, who was eventually elevated to the status of a local saint. The location of the church, in the province of Dalsland, a wooded, sparsely populated, and remote area of southwestern Sweden, is an unlikely spot for such a grand building. It was constructed as a large basilica made of brick. Coin finds and radiocarbon dates indicate that the church was probably built sometime in the period 1196–1208. The northern section of the church, including a small chapel or sacristy and the northern transept, was added around 1220.