Riddarholmen Church () is the

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

of the former medieval Greyfriars Monastery in Stockholm, Sweden. The church serves as the final resting place of most Swedish monarchs.

Description

Riddarholmen Church is located on the island of

Riddarholmen Riddarholmen (, "The Knights' Islet") is a small islet in central Stockholm, Sweden. The island forms part of Gamla Stan, the old town, and houses a number of private palaces dating back to the 17th century. The main landmark is the church Riddarh ...

, close to the Royal Palace in Stockholm,

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 ...

. The congregation was dissolved in 1807 and today the church is used only for burial and commemorative purposes. Swedish monarchs from

Gustavus Adolphus Gustavus Adolphus (9 December N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December15946 November Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 16 November] 1632), also known in English as ...

(d. 1632 AD) to Gustaf V (d. 1950) are entombed here (with only one exception: Queen Christina who is buried within St. Peter's Basilica in Rome), as well as the earlier monarchs Magnus III (d. 1290) and Charles VIII (d. 1470). It has been discontinued as a royal burial site in favour of the Royal Cemetery and today is run by departments of the Swedish Government and Royal Court. The Church's age can be seen in its architecture, which is eclectic from various eras. Most of the church is a Northern European Gothic style, but parts of the church are also

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

. It is one of the oldest buildings in Stockholm, parts of it dating to the late-13th century, when it was built as a greyfriars

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

. After the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

, the monastery was closed and the building became a

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

church. A spire designed by Flemish architect

Willem Boy Willem Boy (; 1520 – 1592) was a Flemish painter, sculptor, and architect active in Sweden from around 1558 until his death. Few of Boy's works have survived, and he is mostly remembered for the sarcophagus of King Gustav I in the Uppsal ...

(1520–1592) was added during the reign of John III, but it was destroyed by a

lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...

strike on 28 July 1835, after which it was replaced with the present cast-iron spire. Traditionally, the armorial plates depiciting the

arms Arms or ARMS may refer to: *Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons **Fi ...

of deceased knights of the

Royal Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim (; '' Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is the highest order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Sweden. It was created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Ord ...

are affixed to the walls of the church. When a knight of the Order dies, his coat of arms is carried from the royal palace and rehung in the church, and when the funeral takes place the church's bells are rung without pause from 12:00 to 13:00.

Gallery

Stockholm, Riddarholmskyrkan - KMB - 16001000546003.jpg, Riddarholmen Church nave, looking east towards main altar Stockholm, Riddarholmskyrkan - KMB - 16001000546019 cropped.jpg, Riddarholmen Church nave, looking east towards organ loft Stockholm, Riddarholmskyrkan - KMB - 16001000546001.jpg, Royal tombs and armorial plates of deceased knights of the

Riddarholmskyrkan postcard.jpg, Riddarholmen Church in the early 20th century

References

External links

The Riddarholm Church at the Royal Court's website
{{Coord, 59, 19, 29, N, 18, 03, 53, E, display=title Cemeteries in Sweden Monarchy of Sweden Christianity in Stockholm Gothic architecture in Sweden Swedish heraldry Churches in Stockholm Churches in the Diocese of Stockholm (Church of Sweden) 13th-century churches in Sweden Burial sites of Swedish royal houses Burial sites of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg Burial sites of the House of Beauharnais Burial sites of the House of Bernadotte Burial sites of the House of Bjälbo Burial sites of the House of Holstein-Gottorp Burial sites of the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken

Description

Gallery

See also

References

External links