"The King begins the building of a church, the peasants completes the building".
This is said in Östgötalagen, the law of Östergötland, from the 13th century. The King decided when and where a new church should be built, but the peasants had to do the actual building.
Peasants could themselves decide to a build a church. Upplandslagen, the law of Uppland, says:
"Christian men want to keep the Christian faith and build a new church. The peasants of the parish must go to the Bishop with their parish priest and ask for the Bishop´s permission to build a new church. The Bishop must try their case and give them his permission".
After getting the Bishop’s permission, the peasants could start to build their church.
To build a church was a huge undertaking which required many skilled craftsmen. When building a stone church, one needed external help from a master-builder and specialised craftsmen. The parishioners themselves always took part in the work, as well. Therefore, the peasants would always have a special feeling for their own church.