The
Riddarholmen Church is the
burialBurial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
church of the Swedish monarchs. It is located on the island of
RiddarholmenRiddarholmen 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 from the 17th century...
, close to the Royal Palace in
Stockholm' is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag , and the official residence of the Swedish Monarch as well as the prime minister. The Monarch resides at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm since 1980 and uses the Royal Palace of...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
. The congregation was dissolved in 1807 and today the church is used only for burial and commemorative purposes. Swedish monarchs from
Gustavus AdolphusGustav II Adolf , widely known in English by the Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus and variously in historical writings sometimes as simply just Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolf the Great, , was founder of the Swedish...
(d. 1632 AD) to
Gustaf VGustaf V was King of Sweden from 1907 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau, a half-sister of Adolphe I, Grand Duke of Luxembourg.-Early life:...
(d. 1950) are entombed here, as well as the earlier monarchs
Magnus IIIMagnus Birgersson , usually called Magnus Ladulås, English: Magnus III Barnlock, was King of Sweden from 1275 until his death in 1290....
(d. 1290) and
Charles VIIICharles II of Sweden, Charles I of Norway, a.k.a Karl Knutsson , king of Sweden ; king of Norway ....
(d.
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The
Riddarholmen Church is the
burialBurial, also called interment and inhumation, is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
church of the Swedish monarchs. It is located on the island of
RiddarholmenRiddarholmen 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 from the 17th century...
, close to the Royal Palace in
Stockholm' is the capital and largest city of Sweden. It is the site of the national Swedish government, the Riksdag , and the official residence of the Swedish Monarch as well as the prime minister. The Monarch resides at Drottningholm Palace outside of Stockholm since 1980 and uses the Royal Palace of...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
. The congregation was dissolved in 1807 and today the church is used only for burial and commemorative purposes. Swedish monarchs from
Gustavus AdolphusGustav II Adolf , widely known in English by the Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus and variously in historical writings sometimes as simply just Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolf the Great, , was founder of the Swedish...
(d. 1632 AD) to
Gustaf VGustaf V was King of Sweden from 1907 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Oscar II of Sweden and Sophia of Nassau, a half-sister of Adolphe I, Grand Duke of Luxembourg.-Early life:...
(d. 1950) are entombed here, as well as the earlier monarchs
Magnus IIIMagnus Birgersson , usually called Magnus Ladulås, English: Magnus III Barnlock, was King of Sweden from 1275 until his death in 1290....
(d. 1290) and
Charles VIIICharles II of Sweden, Charles I of Norway, a.k.a Karl Knutsson , king of Sweden ; king of Norway ....
(d. 1470).
It is one of the oldest buildings in Stockholm, parts of it dating to the late 13th century, when it was built as a
greyfriarsThe term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic religious orders, also known as the Orders of Friars Minor, that follow a body of regulations known as "The rule of St. Francis", or a member of one of these orders. As well as Roman Catholic there are also small Old Catholic and...
monasteryMonastery , a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer Monastery (plural: monasteries), a term derived from the Greek word μοναστήριον, neut. of μοναστήριος - monasterios...
. After the
Protestant ReformationThe Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe which is generally deemed to have begun with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 although a number of precursors such as Jan Hus predate that event...
, the monastery was closed and the building transformed into a
ProtestantThe 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...
church. A spire designed by
Willem BoyWillem Boy 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 Uppsala Cathedral....
was added during the reign of John II, but it was destroyed by a stroke of
lightningLightning is an atmospheric discharge of electricity accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
on July 28, 1835 after which it was replaced with the present cast iron spire.
Coats of armsA coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...
of knights of the
Order of the SeraphimThe Royal Order of the Seraphim is a Swedish Royal order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Polar Star...
are in the walls of the church. When a knight of the Order dies, his coat of arms is hung in the church and when the funeral takes place the church bells are rung constantly from 12:00 to 13:00.
See also
- List of famous cemeteries
- Gamla stan
Gamla stan , until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna , is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. The surrounding islets Riddarholmen, Helgeandsholmen, and Strömsborg are officially part of, but not colloquially included in, Gamla stan...
- Storkyrkan
Sankt Nikolai kyrka , most commonly known as Storkyrkan is the oldest church in Gamla Stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is an important example of Swedish Brick Gothic...
- German Church, Stockholm
Tyska kyrkan , sometimes called St. Gertrude's Church , is a church in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden....
External links