Page 57 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Stockholm

GA MLA ST AN  55

5 Storkyrkan
Trångsund 1. Map 4 B3. Tel 08-723 30
16.  Gamla Stan. @ 2, 43, 55, 59, 76.
Open Oct–May: 9am–4pm; Jun–Sep:
9am–6pm (Sep: to 5pm). 5 11am Sat
& Sun. 8 Eng: Jul–15 Aug: 10am– 1pm
Mon–Fri; to 2pm Sat & Sun (tour of the
tower: Jul–15 Aug: 2pm & 5pm). 7 ^
(during services). = ∑ stockholms
domkyrkoforsamling.se
Stockholm’s 700-year-old cathe-
dral is of great national religious
importance. It was from here that
the Swedish reformer Olaus Petri
(1493–1552) spread his Lutheran
message around the kingdom. It
is also used for royal ceremonies,
weddings and funerals.
A small village church was
built on this site in the 13th
century, probably by the city’s
founder Birger Jarl. It was
replaced in 1306 by a much
larger basilica, St Nicholas, and
has been enlarged and altered
over the centuries.
The Gothic character of the
interior, acquired in the 15th cen- Storkyrkan’s façade in the Italian Baroque style, seen from Slottsbacken
tury, was revealed in 1908, when,
during restoration work, plaster The cathedral houses some the Elder’s victory over the
was removed from the pillars, priceless artistic treasures, Danes in 1471 (see p17).
exposing the characteristic red including St George and the The Last Judgment (1696) is a
tiling. The late Baroque period Dragon, regarded as one of massive Baroque painting by
provided the so-called “royal the finest late Gothic works David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl. The
chairs” and the pulpit, while the of art in Northern Europe. 3.7-m (12-ft) high bronze can-
façade was adapted to bring it The sculp ture, situated to delabra before the altar, likely to
into keeping with the rest of the the left of the altar, was carved be German, has adorned the
area around the Royal Palace. The from oak and moose horn cathedral for some 600 years.
66-m (216-ft) high tower, added by Lübeck sculp tor Berndt One of the cathedral’s most
in 1743, has 4 bells, the largest Notke. Unveiled in 1489, it prized treasures is the silver
of which weighs about 6 tonnes. commemorates Sten Sture altar, which gave the interior a
completely new appearance in
the 1650s. It was a gift from the
diplomat Johan Adler Salvius.
The pews nearest to the
chancel, the “royal chairs”, were
designed by Nicodemus Tessin
the Younger in 1684 to be used
by royalty on special occasions.
In 1705, the pulpit was installed
above the grave of Olaus Petri.
On 20 April 1535, a light
phenomenon was observed
over Stockholm – six rings
with sparkling solar halos. The
Parhelion Painting (see p16),
recalling the event, hangs in
Storkyrkan and is thought to
be the oldest portrayal of the
capital. It shows the modest
skyline dominated by the
cathedral, at that time still
The sculpture St George and the Dragon by Bernt Notke (1489) in Storkyrkan the basilica of St Nicholas.

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