by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Stockholm Cathedral is between the Royal Palace of Stockholm and Stortorget, the old main square of Stockholm, in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm. Originally, a Roman Catholic church, Stockholm Cathedral became a Lutheran church during the Protestant Reformation in Sweden. It is now a Church of Sweden, the Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. The church has several names: Storkyrkan (in Swedish, stor = great and krykan = church, hence Great Church), Stockholms domkyrka (Stockholm Cathedral) and Sankt Nikolai kyrka (Saint Nicholas Church). In Sweden, it is most commonly called Storkyrkan.

According to tradition, the first church on the site was dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra and was built in the 13th century by Birger Jarl, the founder of Stockholm A large donation to the church in 1346 by King Magnus IV of Sweden and his wife Blanche of Namur probably indicates the beginning of renovations and additions. After significant renovations and additions in the 14th and 15th centuries, the church reached its present size and shape as a five-aisled hall church in 1480. The church was originally built in the Brick Gothic style of the 13th century with a tower. From 1736 – 1742, Swedish architect Johan Eberhard Carlberg was employed to renovate the exterior and build a new tower. The exterior was transformed from a Gothic style to a Baroque style. The exterior seen today is still largely the result of Carlberg’s work.

The Baroque altarpiece over the main altar was made in silver and ebony by Hamburg goldsmith Eustachius Erdmüller and was completed in 1652. The central part is divided into three levels with each level containing a panel with a silver relief. The reliefs depict, from bottom to top, the Crucifixion, the Entombment, and Christ in the realm of the dead. Silver statuettes of Moses and John the Baptist flank the Crucifixion panel. The second and third panels are flanked by the Four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

On either side of the nave are the two royal pews. The lower part is a seating area enclosed by a decorated wooden barrier. Originally a throne was placed in each pew. The upper part of each pew is a gilt wooden canopy in the form of an oversize royal crown carried by angels against a background of imitated drapery. The royal pews, intended for the royal family, were designed by Swedish architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger and made by Swedish-German furniture maker and sculptor Burchard Precht.

The gilt wooden pulpit in the French Baroque style was also made by the sculptor Burchard Precht between 1698 and 1702.

Perhaps the most impressive sight at Stockholm Cathedral is the wooden sculpture that depicts the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. The statue was commissioned by Sten Sture the Elder, Swedish statesman and Regent of Sweden from 1470 – 1497 and 1501 -1503, following his victory over the Danish army in the Battle of Brunkeberg in 1471. During the battle, Sten Sture had prayed to Saint George to protect his army. The sculpture is attributed to Bernt Notke, one of the foremost artists in northern Europe at that time. The 12 feet/3.75 meters high statue depicts Saint George on horseback and stands on a wooden plinth, decorated with scenes from the legend of Saint George.

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Royal Events at Stockholm Cathedral

Over the centuries, many royal events have occurred at Stockholm Cathedral. The list below does not purport to be complete.

Coronations

Stockholm Cathedral (Storkyrkan) along with Uppsala Cathedral and a few other churches have served as sites for the coronation of Sweden’s rulers. In 1873, King Oscar II was the last Swedish monarch to have a coronation. His son King Gustav V of Sweden (reigned 1907 – 1950) chose not to be crowned and his successors King Gustaf VI Adolf and King Carl XVI Gustav followed suit.

• July 31, 1336 – King Magnus IV of Sweden and his wife Blanche of Namur, Queen of Sweden
• November 26, 1497 – King Hans of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden was crowned King of Sweden
• November 4, 1520 – King Christian II of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden was crowned King of Sweden
• September 24, 1531 – Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg, Queen of Sweden, 1st wife of King Gustav Vasa I
• July 5, 1568 – Karin Månsdotter, Queen of Sweden, mistress and then wife of King Erik XIV
• November 28, 1620 – Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, Queen of Sweden, wife of King Gustavus II Adolphus the Great
• October 20, 1650 – Queen Christina of Sweden
• October 25, 1654 – Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden, wife of King Carl X Gustav
• November 25, 1680 – Ulrika Eleonora of Denmark, Queen of Sweden, wife of King Karl XI
• December 14, 1697 – King Karl XII of Sweden
• May 3, 1720 – King Fredrik I of Sweden
• November 26, 1751 – King Adolf Frederik of Sweden and his wife Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, Queen of Sweden
• March 29, 1772 – King Gustav III of Sweden
• May 28, 1772 – Sophia Magdalena of Denmark, Queen of Sweden, wife of King Gustav III
• June 29, 1809 – King Carl XIII of Sweden/King Karl II of Norway and his wife Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp, Queen of Sweden and Norway were crowned King and Queen of Sweden
• May 11, 1818 – King Carl XIV Johan of Sweden/King Karl III Johan of Norway was crowned King of Sweden
• August 21, 1829 – Désirée Clary, Queen Desideria of Sweden and Norway, wife of King Carl XIV Johan, was crowned Queen of Sweden
• September 21, 1844 – Joséphine of Leuchtenberg, Queen Josefina of Sweden and Norway, wife of King Oscar I, was crowned Queen of Sweden
• September 28, 1844 – King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway was crowned King of Sweden
• May 3, 1860 – King Carl XV of Sweden/King Karl IV of Norway and his wife Louise of the Netherlands, Queen Lovisa of Sweden and Norway, were crowned King and Queen of Sweden
• May 12, 1873 – King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway and his wife Sophia of Nassau, Queen Sofia of Sweden and Norway, were crowned King and Queen of Sweden

Christenings

• September 27, 1977 – Christening of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, daughter of King Carl XVI Gustaf

Weddings

Wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling, 2010

• September 24, 1531 – King Gustav Vasa I of Sweden and his first wife Katharina of Saxe-Lauenburg
• July 4, 1568 – King Erik XIV of Sweden and Karin Månsdotter
• June 19, 1823 – King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway and Princess Joséphine of Leuchtenberg
• June 19, 1850 – King Carl XV of Sweden/King Karl IV of Norway and Princess Louise of the Netherlands
• May 22, 1919 – Princess Margaretha of Sweden, granddaughter of King Oscar II, and Prince Axel of Denmark
• May 24, 1935 – Princess Ingrid of Sweden, daughter of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, and the future King Frederik IX of Denmark
• June 5, 1964 – Princess Désirée of Sweden, granddaughter of King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden, and Baron Niclas Silfverschiöld
• June 19, 1976 – King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Silvia Sommerlath
• June 19, 2010 – Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling

Funerals

Funeral of King Gustaf VI Adolf, 1973

• May 13, 1920 – Margaret of Connaught, Crown Princess of Sweden, first wife of the future King Gustaf VI Adolf
• February 4, 1947 – Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, Duke of Västerbotten, son of King Gustaf VI Adolf, father of King Carl XVI Gustaf
• March 13, 1965 – Queen Louise of Sweden (Lady Louise Mountbatten), second wife of King Gustaf VI Adolf
• September 25, 1973 – King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden

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Works Cited

• De.wikipedia.org. 2022. Sankt Nikolai kyrka – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankt_Nikolai_kyrka> [Accessed 17 January 2022].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Saint George and the Dragon (Notke) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George_and_the_Dragon_(Notke)> [Accessed 17 January 2022].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Storkyrkan – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storkyrkan> [Accessed 17 January 2022].
• Sv.wikipedia.org. 2022. Sankt Göran och draken, Gamla stan – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankt_G%C3%B6ran_och_draken,_Gamla_stan> [Accessed 17 January 2022].
• Sv.wikipedia.org. 2022. Storkyrkan – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storkyrkan> [Accessed 17 January 2022].
• Sv.wikipedia.org. 2022. Svenska kröningar – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svenska_kr%C3%B6ningar> [Accessed 17 January 2022].