Johan Olof Wallin
Johan Olof Wallin (15 October 1779 – 30 June 1839) was a Swedish minister, orator, poet and later Church of Sweden Archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden between 1837 and 1839. He is most remembered today for his hymns.
Also recorded as Johan Wallin · Johan O. Wallin · Johan Olof Wahlin
Johan Olof Wallin

F. G. Beijers Bokförlagsaktiebolag, Stockholm · The book Femtio porträtt af ryktbara svenskar · Public domain
- Name
- Johan Olof Wallin
- Born
- 15 October 1779
- Birthplace
- Stora Tuna, Dalarna, Sweden
- Died
- 30 June 1839
- Place of death
- Uppsala, Sweden
- Spouse
- Anna Maria Dimander (1810-1839)
- Nationality
- Sweden
- Occupation
- poet · theologian · writer · hymnwriter · lutheran pastor · archbishop
- Education
- Uppsala University
- Honours
- Member of the Order of the Polar Star
- Languages
- Swedish
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Documentary summary
Johan Olof Wallin (15 October 1779 – 30 June 1839) was a Swedish minister, orator, poet and later Church of Sweden Archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden between 1837 and 1839. He is most remembered today for his hymns.
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Authority files
wikidata · Q1355965 · wikipedia · Johan Olof Wallin
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Type — Archbishop • Honorific Prefix — The Most Reverend • Name — Johan Olof Wallin • Native Name — (English later Walleen) • Title — Archbishop of Uppsala Primate of Sweden • Church — Church of Sweden • Archdiocese — Uppsala • Appointed — 1837 • Term — 1837–1839 • Term End — 30 June 1839 • Predecessor — Carl von Rosenstein • Successor — Carl Fredrik af Wingård • Consecration — 28 March 1824 • Consecrated By — Carl von Rosenstein • Rank — Metropolitan Archbishop • Born — 15 October 1779 • Birthplace — Stora Tuna, Dalarna, Sweden • Died — 30 June 1839 • Place of death — Uppsala, Sweden • Spouse — Anna Maria Dimander (1810-1839) • Alma Mater — University of Uppsala
Early life
Early life
He was born in Stora Tuna in Dalarna (now part of Borlänge Municipality, Dalarna County) as the oldest son in a large family, and went to school in Falun. His parents did not have much money, but because he was a bright student he managed to enroll at the University of Uppsala in 1799. Four years later he obtained his Master of Arts, and after another three years he was ordained minister. While he was studying, his first poem was published in Upsala tidningar (1802). In the following years, he wrote and translated several other poetic works, and received several awards from the Swedish Academy for his work. Among his awarded works were translations of Horace and Virgil; and for a song about Gustav III he was awarded the high sum of 200 ducats. His poetry was, however, by some considered too rhetorical and out-dated compared to the then flourishing Romantic poets. Wallin took the criticism to heart, and adapted to the new style which was more emotional and less influenced by the Latin poets.
Clerical work
Clerical work
In 1810 he married Anna Maria Dimander. In the same year, he was elected to the Swedish Academy. In addition to this, he took it upon himself to commission the creation of a new Swedish book of hymns. The project was finished in 1816. It was approved by the king in 1819, and printed the same year. Of the 500 hymns, Wallin had written 128, translated 23, and involved himself in the revision of another 178. Additionally the structure or arrangement of the hymnal was mainly his creation. In 1827, he was elected a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In 1835, Wallin founded the Swedish Mission Society (Svenska Missionssällskapet), an organization for missions work among the Sámi people, together with Scottish Methodist missionary George Scott, industrialist Samuel Owen, Count Mathias Rosenblad, bishop Carl Fredrik af Wingård, and others. He held many different clerical posts throughout his life. Ultimately he was ordained Archbishop of Sweden in 1837. But before he had even moved to Uppsala (seat of the bishopric), he died a sudden death in 1839, and was buried in Stockholm. The Swedish Biographical Dictionary of 1906 indicates that he at his death was "mourned by the entire Swedish people". The Swedish Literature in Summary (1904) writes that no Swedish orator or preacher ever had his distinctive glow as a speaker. He was undoubtedly a talented person in literature and a most pious man. But he was weak in body, and this trait in combination with his strong work ethic may have caused stress on his health.
Educational work
Educational work
Wallin was the instigator of the progressive pioneering girls' school Wallinska skolan, the fourth serious educational girls' school in Sweden and the first in the capital of Stockholm, an initiative he convinced Anders Fryxell to take motivated by his view that women should be entitled to more serious education than given in a finishing school. He was also president of Pro Fide et Christianismo, a Christian education society which made an impact on the country's early public education system.
Identity
Identity
Johan Olof Wallin is recorded as poet, theologian, writer, hymnwriter and lutheran pastor.

Johan Olof Wallin (1779-1839)
Drawing: Maria Röhl (1801-1875)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1779
Johan Olof Wallin born at Stora Tuna Rural Municipality.
1839
Johan Olof Wallin died at Uppsala.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Stora Tuna Rural Municipality.
Birth place
Uppsala.
Death place
Legacy
• Illustration — From the religious poem ' of Johan Olof Wallin, 1851 During the remainder of the 19th century he was highly beloved and praised by writers and intellectuals in Sweden. In some places his 100th anniversary was celebrated in 1879. A monument of him was also erected in his hometown, and a bust of him was unveiled in Falun in 1917. During the 20th century, the harsh Lutheranism associated with Wallin was increasingly scorned in Sweden as being oppressive and guilt-stricken, and this trend in combination with increased secularization has diminished his reputation; today he is remembered for merely those hymns still in use in Swedish churches, the traditional Christmas hymn "Var hälsad, sköna morgonstund" among them. Besides hymns, Wallin wrote several secular poems highly praised in his time. He published several sermons and speeches. Of his hymns still in use in Swedish hymnbooks today, a few have also been translated into English and published in hymnals such as the Lutheran Book of Worship. These include – besides "Var hälsad, sköna morgonstund" ("All Hail to you, O blessed morn", translated to English by Ernst Olson) – "Du som fromma hjärtan vårdar" ("Christians, while on Earth abiding") and "Vi lovar Dig, O Store Gud" ("We worship you, O God of might"), as well as "Din klara sol går åter opp" as "Again, Thy Glorious Sun Doth Rise". His style is described as melancholic but ravishing, often dealing with death, with frequent references and quotes from the Bible. His grand work was the long poem Dödens ängel, finished only about year before his death. Compared to Swedish poets contemporary with Wallin, some consider him second only to Esaias Tegnér.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q1355965: Johan Olof WallinWikimedia Foundation
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Further particulars
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The authorities additionally record the headings Johan Wallin, Johan O. Wallin and Johan Olof Wahlin. His recorded language was Swedish. His recorded confession was Lutheranism. Recorded positions include seat 1 of the Swedish Academy and Archbishop of Uppsala. He belonged to Swedish Academy, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities. Connected to 1 other published record in the VALÉORINE Encyclopedia.
Identity and origins
Career and activity
Within the Encyclopedia
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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