Storkyrkan

Right next to the Royal Palace is the city’s cathedral the Storkyrkan(Great Church). First mentioned in a written source in 1279 & built according to the local tradition by Birger Jarl, the legendary founder of the city.

The building has been through several changes during the centuries. Its Gothic interior dates back to the 15th century when the church was expanded while its outer shell was partly reconstructed in a baroque style during the 1740’s to better suit the architecture of the Royal Palace.

The most famous of its treasures is the wooden statue of Saint George & the Dragon commisioned to commemorate the Battle of Brunkeberg fought in 1471 between the forces of the Swedish regent Sten Sture the Elder & the ones led by the Danish King Christian I.

The wooden sculpture also serves as a reliquary since it contains relics that are believed to belong to Saint George. The cathedral also contains the oldest known image of Stockholm in a painting of 1632, a silver altar from 1650, a pulpit & two royal chairs sculpted by Burchardt Brecht in 1680 & two giant canvases by David Klöcker von Ehrenstrahl. More