Kalmar Cathedral () is in the city of

Kalmar Kalmar (, , ) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 41,388 inhabitants in 2020 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of ...

Småland Småland () is a historical Provinces of Sweden, province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name ''Småland'' literally means "small la ...

in southeast

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. Located in Stortorget Square, construction began in 1660. The Cathedral was designed for the

Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden () is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.5 million members at year end 2023, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sweden, the largest List ...

by architect Nicodemus Tessin.

History

The new city of Kalmar was built on Kvarnholmen island in the mid-17th century. The transfer from the old town was largely completed by

1658 Events January–March * January 13 – Edward Sexby, who had plotted against Oliver Cromwell, dies in the Tower of London. * January 30 – The " March Across the Belts" (''Tåget över Bält''), Sweden's use of winter w ...

. The new, fortified town was planned along Renaissance ideals. Accordingly, the church and town hall were constructed across from one another in the old town square ('' Stortorget Kalmar''). The material in the masonry consists of limestone from

Gotland Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...

. The vaults, portals and window coverings are made of brick. The roof was lined with copper plate. The cathedral was built without a dome and with high window openings. The cathedral was designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder (1615–1681) and is one of the foremost examples of classical baroque architecture that was a breakthrough in Sweden. The design of Kalmar Cathedral reflects the complexities of modernisation, maintaining liturgical utility and tradition, and being mindful of the fortress-city requirements. Construction began in 1660, but was interrupted on several occasions, including with the outbreak of the

Scanian War The Scanian War (; ; ; ) was a part of the Northern Wars involving the union of Denmark–Norway, Electorate of Brandenburg, Brandenburg and Swedish Empire, Sweden. It was fought from 1675 to 1679 mainly on Scanian soil, in the former Danish ...

(1675–1679). The work resumed after the war and Kalmar Cathedral was finally finished in 1703.

Restorations

Over the centuries, the church has been the subject of numerous restorations In 1783, extensive external and internal restoration was initiated. In 1800, the city was hit by an extensive fire. In 1802 the damage was repaired. In 1831–1834, an external and internal restoration was carried out following a proposal by architect Jacob Wilhelm Gerss (1784-1844). The exterior restoration included both the church's exterior walls and the roof. In 1882–1883, a rebuilding of the interior was carried out following a drawing proposal by architect Helgo Zetterwall (1831-1907). During 1910–1914 years of restoration took place according to drawings and job descriptions by city architect Josef Fredrik Olson (1870-1947). The 1928-1932 restoration was also based on Fredrik Olson's proposal. Between 1981 and 1982, extensive restoration of the church's exterior was made. Between 2005 and 2011, restoration of the exterior took place, under the direction of Barup & Edström Arkitektkontor. Work included refurbishment of the church roof, stone restoration, facade staining. Internal restoration during 2006-2011 meant, among other things, raising and expanding the choir as well as new flooring.

Gallery

File:00 1098 Interior of Kalmar domkyrka.jpg, Ornate pulpit Kalmar domkyrka, interiör, predikstolens ljudtak, pilastrar, kapitäl och bjälklag, 2015.jpg, Pulpit

sounding board A sounding board, also known as a tester and abat-voix is a structure placed above and sometimes also behind a pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platf ...

or tester File:00 1100 Cathedral church in Kalmar (Sweden).jpg, Altar Kalmar Domkyrka Epitafium 042.JPG, Wall-mounted memorial Kalmar Domkyrka 011.JPG, Baptismal font made by stonecutter Elving Nilsson File:Kalmar Dom Chororgel.jpg, Organ

References

External links

Kalmar domkyrka website
{{Church of Sweden Lutheran cathedrals in Sweden Churches in Kalmar County Kalmar Churches in the Diocese of Växjö Church buildings with domes Baroque church buildings in Sweden

History

Restorations

Gallery

References

Related reading

External links