Storkyrkan, Stockholm

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I walked slowly through the Cathedral taking a look at all the beautiful and interesting things. The first thing that you will see and that you want to take a picture of is the pulpit. The pulpit in the Cathedral is from the year 1700, and was carved in magnificent and extravagant style by the sculptor Burchardt Precht. It is all gold and glittering and there are so many details that it is hard to see each and every one of them. Under the pulpit lies the tombstone of Olaus Petri, the Swedish Reformer.

Only a few steps from the pulpit, in the middle of the Cathedral, you can see the two Royal pews (photo 2). The pews are used only by members of the Royal Family when attending official ceremonies in the Cathedral. You can't get close to the pews (and not secretly sit in them either, lol) as the area around them is fenced of. The pews were masterfully designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger in 1684, and have set the tone for much of the later ornaments in the Cathedral.

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Looking up to the top of one of the Royal Pews. Again, it is all gold and glittering and lots and lots of detailing. The more I walked around in the Cathedral the more impressed I got. I had no clue the Storkyrkan was THIS beautiful! I had read it was great, but this was so much more than I expected.

Second picture: The Seven-Branched Candlestick
Just behind the Royal pews is the next artefact: The Seven-Branched Candlestick. This is a candelabra of bronze and just over 12 feet high. It was probably made in Germany in the 15th century and has been in the Cathedral for more than five hundred years.

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The highlight of the Cathedral is without a doubt the monument of St.George and the Dragon. This is an extremely well-preserved sculptural ensemble, unequalled among its kind, created by Berndt Notke of Lübeck. The sculpture is made from materials such as oak and elk antlers. It was unveiled in 1489 as an altar monument for the shrine to St.George. The monument is huge, and so impressive to see. This sculpture alone would make it more than worth while to visit the Cathedral!

You might have heard of St.George and the Dragon before as it is a famous legend. The legend tells of a terrible dragon that demanded human offerings from the town of Selene as its price for not destroying the town. The day that the King's daughter was to be sacrificed, St.George comes riding by. He promises to kill the dragon if the town's heathen inhabitants convert to Christianity.

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The next stop on my virtual tour through Stockholm is the Storkyrkan in the Gamla Stan (old town). The Storkyrkan, or Nicolai kyrka, is located between the palace and the Stock Exchange. It is a beautiful Cathedral, but probably overlooked quite a few times as the exterior isn't that grand. And that is a real pity as the interior of the cathedral is stunning! It has many unique artefacts, and an absolute must see on your visit to Stockholm.

When I walked into the Cathedral it overwhelmed me right away. All I could say was ooooh and oooooh again, so taken I was the first sight of the interior of this Cathedral. Nothing really sensible came out of my mouth, I didn't know what to say, but oooooh.... beautiful.... and oooh again. It is not that the Cathedral is huge, like some Cathedrals, but it is just stunningly beautiful. The cathedral was first constructed in 1250, but has been rebuilt many times since then. Because of that the exterior appears to be Baroque but the interior exhibits basic Gothic elements.

The cathedral is open from 1 Jan - 20 May, 30 Sep - 31 Dec Mon-Sun 09.00 - 16.00 and 21 May - 29 Sep Mon-Sun, 09.00-18.00
Morning services are held every Sunday at 11am.

Winter Season: Free admission
Summer Season: 25 SEK for adults, Children free

In the heart of Old Stockholm, Gamla Stan.
It is located right across the Stockholm Slott ( Palace) and was used for the wedding of King Carl-Gustaf to Silvia Sommerlath 1976.
Free admission. It is still used for Official Royal functions.
More details at the website below

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The Storkyrkan (Great Church) was built in 1306 at the site of a small chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas.

This Church, which is now a Cathedral, is where Princess Victoria was married in 2010.

To me, it doesn't look that impressive from the outside. The gothic interior was built in the 15th century, where-as the exterior is in Baroque style in the 1740's, this was to complement the Royal Palace.

Inside, it's a five-aisled church and very nice!

My favourite in the Church, is the magnificent sculpture of St George and the Dragon. It commemorates the victory of the Swedish army over the Danes at the battle of Brunkeberg in 1471. The sculpture is made of wood, iron and gold leaf and elk horn was used for the dragon's scales. It is the best sculpture of St. George and the Dragon I have seen, fantastic!

Another important piece, was the Sun Dog Painting depicting an atmospheric phenomenon that was observed above Stockholm on April 20, 1535, when six 'sun dogs' or 'mock suns' were seen over the city. The current picture is a copy, painted in 1636, as the original one from 1535 was lost. Other interesting artwork in the church include the silver altar from 1650, the pulpit and two royal chairs.

I am glad that I went inside, it was worth it to see these treasure's!

The Big Church, or Storkyrkan, is the most important church of the city. It's situated very close to the Royal Palace and the Stortorget. It was built in the 13th century and was opened officially in 1306. Officially the city of Stockholm doesn't have a real cathedral, but this church is often called the Cathedral because of the important role it played in history.

The square, brick church was the place where the Swedish kings got married and crowned. The current shape of the Storkyrkan was established in the 15th century. Before that it was a more simple design. The baroc parts of the church were added in the 30's of the 18th century.

The interior of the church is very caracteristic because of its brick walls on the inside. Originally there was plaster on these walls, but that was removed during a renovation in the past century. The statue of St. George and the Dragon and the beautiful Royal seats are the most impressive aspects in here.

Every saturday at 13:00 there is a concert in the church with its organ.

The Church Storkyrkan (Grand Church) is located on Gamla Stan island. It it a lovely structure, and the Swedish King and Queen actually got married here in 1976 (or something close to 1976).
We visited a mass here in August 2003. The building itself is beautiful and the interiors as well. Noteworthy is the sculpture of St:Goran and the Dragon by Bert Notkes from 1489 AD.
The church is also called St: Nikolai Kyrka, remnants of the oldest part of the structure date back to the 1200:s.

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The Storkyrkan was first mentioned in 1279 and is now the cathedral of Stockholm. It is a huge church with lots of beautiful artwork inside, one of which is the famous sculpture of St. George and the Dragon by Bernt Notke (1489).

When we visited (around 3.40 p.m.) we were not aware of the fact that the cathedral closed at 4 p.m. - we walked around and enjoyed this beautiful church, when suddenly someone started playing on the organ! Wow, what a fantastic atmosphere this was! Unfortunately we could not listen to this impromptu concert very long, since we were asked to leave - but what we heard and saw left us with a lasting impression!

Normally the church is open from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. from September - April and from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. from May - August.

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Stockholms main cathedral is Storkyrkan which is located in Gamla Stan, right beside the Royal Palace at the top of Slottsbaken. Its been a cathedral since 1942 but its believed that the cities founder, Birger Jarl, first had a church built on this site back in the 1200's. The warm yellow coloured exterior of the current Cathedral is influenced by Italian Baroque. The entrance is on Trangsund