The
Linköping Cathedral (in
SwedishSwedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the coast and on the Åland islands. It is to a considerable extent mutually intelligible with Norwegian and to a lesser extent with Danish...
:
Linköpings domkyrka) is a church in the
SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
city of
LinköpingLinköping [ˈlɪnɕøːpɪŋ] is a city in southern Sweden, with 97,428 inhabitants in 2005. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 140,367 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County...
. The cathedral is the seat for the
bishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
in the
Church of SwedenThe Church of Sweden is the largest church in Sweden. The Church of Sweden professes the Lutheran branch of Christianity, and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With almost 6.9 million members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world. Until 2000 it held the position of state church. As of...
Diocese of LinköpingThe Diocese of Linköping is a former Roman Catholic, now Lutheran bishopric.-Lutheran diocese:Now belonging to the Church of Sweden, under its sole Archbishop , it comprises Östergötland County and parts of Jönköping and Kalmar County. It has 212 parishes with a total of 443 000 members...
.
History
The current church is about 800 years old. However, its history starts in the 11th century, when a wooden church was built at the location. Then, around 1120, a stone church was being constructed; a
basilicaThe Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building , usually located in the forum of a Roman town. In Hellenistic cities, public basilicas appeared in the 2nd century BC.Basilicas were also used for religious purposes...
of about half the size of the building of today. Its length is 110 meters and the height of the tower is 107 meters. (351 feet)
Around 1230 it became necessary to construct a larger church, as the basilica had become too small. The church was extended to the east, with a new
choirA choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together is called a choir or chorus...
and
transeptFull descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are found at the entry Cathedral diagram.
For the periodical go to The Transept....
. These parts, remain as part of the modern church.
The current
altarpieceAn altarpiece is a picture or relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the altar of a church. The altarpiece is often made up of two or more separate panels created using a technique known as panel painting. It is then called a diptych, triptych or polyptych for two,...
was also from that time.
The next extension of the church was made following the coronation of Valdemar of Sweden, in 1251. This time the main building was constructed, and the church received its current length.
At the start of the 15th century, 1408-1420, the chapels were constructed in
Gothic architectureGothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
, with large windows and star shaped vaults. The chapels were named after Saint Andreas (later renamed to Mary), St. Nicolaus and St. Thomas.
Fire damaged the roof of the church in 1546 and 1567. The tower was rebuilt between 1747–1758, again between 1877–1886 by
Helgo ZettervallHelgo Zettervall, older spelling Zetterwall, was a Swedish architect and professor of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts. He is best known for his drastic restorations of churches and other buildings around Sweden.After studies at the Academy of Arts, he in 1860 began working on the Lund Cathedral,...
. However, a restoration was made in 1967, restoring the shape of the 17th century roof.
The roof is covered with
copperCopper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is rather soft and malleable and a freshly-exposed surface has a pinkish or peachy color...
plating. The corrosion has created the green color.
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