Parts of the church date to the late 13th century, when it was built as a Greyfriars monastery. The Reformation closed the monastery and made the building a Lutheran church. The article names no original architect or builder and gives no dimensions. It calls the architecture mostly Northern European Gothic with some Baroque parts, eclectic from various eras.
Flemish architect Willem Boy designed the original spire, added during the reign of John III with no year given. Lightning destroyed it on July 28, 1835, and the present spire is cast iron. The congregation was dissolved in 1807.
Most Swedish monarchs from Gustavus Adolphus to Gustaf V are entombed here, along with the earlier monarchs Magnus Ladulås and Charles VIII. Queen Christina is buried in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The article says the church is used only for burial and commemorative purposes and is run by the Swedish Government and Royal Court.
Comments