Stockholm Cathedral filled with the ornate

Main aisle with the pulpit on the left and the altar in the centre

A closer look at the pulpit and altar

It’s incredible to walk in to a modern looking building, only to find out that some of it is almost 700 years old. In fact, the oldest parts of Stockholm’s Cathedral are known to have been consecrated in 1306, and the first written mention of the brick church is dated 1279.

Of course, extensive work has been carried out since then. There were major works in the 14th and 15th centuries, and the church grew to its current size in 1480. The fittings and adornments were added about 200 years later. These included the ornate Royal Pews and pulpit—two of the fanciest I have ever seen.

Poor John and I were lucky enough to visit this church on our brief visit to Stockholm just last week.

The candle globe

Ornate ceiling

The cathedral is filled with beautiful and unusual objects. One that especially impressed me was the candle globe. It serves as an assembly point for prayers. The candles are lit for the world. Artist Toroff Engström designed the globe, which has been in the church since 1972.

The Royal Pews and pulpit are equally impressive. As the name implies, the pews are used only by the Royal Family when attending official ceremonies at the cathedral. They were designed by Nicodermis Tessin the Younger in 1684 and carved from wood by Burchard Precht. He also carved the elaborate pulpit in 1700.

Exterior

View of Royal Pew

Another view of Royal Pew

Silver and ebony altar

Sailing ship

The altar is made of ebony and silver, and was donated to the cathedral in the 1650s by Councillor of the Realm Johan Adler Salvias and his wife. I’m a sucker for church organs and this one is a beauty. It was built in 1960 (just a baby) and has 53 stops.

Perhaps one of the most striking pieces, though, is the oak sculpture of St George and the Dragon. It was consecrated in 1649 and was probably sculpted by Bernt Notke of Lübeck. It was commissioned by Sten Sture the Elder. He caused the forces of King Christian of Denmark to flee, thereby ‘rescuing’ Stockholm from the Danish invaders.

Organ

The commission makes sense when you know the legend of St George. A terrible dragon demanded human offerings from the town of Selene as the price for not destroying the town. On the day the king’s daughter was to be sacrificed, St George rode by. He offered to slay the dragon on the condition that the town’s heathen inhabitants would convert to Christianity.

Sture liked to be seen as the St George who saved Stockholm from the Danish dragon. That said, such statues always make me think of Mark Twain’s entertaining travel book, The Innocents Abroad. He and a companion journey throughout Europe, and Twain is constantly astounded by the number of bones (relics) St George must have had. They seemed to turn up in every church.

St George and the Dragon

Finally there is the Parhelion Painting, which depicts a light phenomenon that occurred over Stockholm in April 1535. Back then, six sparkling luminous rings of light (parhelia or sun dogs) appeared in the sky and were interpreted as the impending collapse of worldly power. It’s almost impossible to get a decent photo of the painting. Turns out that the one in the church is a copy. 

Royal Palace and changing of the guard
By the time we finished in the cathedral, we had just a few moments to pop in to the Royal Palace before it closed. We saw the Royal Chapel, but missed the official changing of the guards. Apparently Abba tunes are played during the main changeovers. Can anyone confirm this?

Chapel in the Royal Palace

Other end of chapel

Chapel ceiling

Pulpit