I was drawn to the church by the spire. From across the city, the see-through cast iron spire was…read morebeautiful and I needed to know more. This church doubles as a museum and a place of royal burial in addition to being a place of worship. It is the only remaining medieval monastery and the city's oldest standing church. The Franciscans constructed it around the time of King Magnus Laduläs's passing in 1290. The spire and a number of roof pieces burned in 1835. The church was restored, but a neo-Gothic cast iron spire was installed in its stead. The Bernatotte Memorial Chapel, built in 1860, was the final significant addition. The last comprehensive restoration, completed in 1914-1922, shed light on the legacy of the Middle Ages. The small entrance fee is worth it. The church is peaceful and quiet. There are small chapels off to the sides and many artifacts to examine. I did go down the stairs to the crypt but didn't stay long. Seriously creepy vibes down there. [Review 18736 overall - 70 in Sweden - 2259 of 2022.]

This church is a part of the beautiful Stockholm view with a powerful Gothic steeple and brick…read morebuilding, it's really a stunning sight. It's just over the bridge from Gamla Stan and easy walking distance from the royal palace. It is one of the oldest buildings in Stockholm dating back to the 13th century. There is no congregation present anymore, only the museum and royal burial sites. It was the burial church for the Swedish family until recently and now the Royal Cemetery is the preferred location. Many of the famous Swedish monarchs are buried there. Apparently you can tour the inside during the summer months of May- September, but unfortunately we were there in February and were not able to see the inside. Either way though, its worth going over to get a close up picture of the beautiful historic building.

The Katarina church is one of Sweden's great baroque churches, and the country's first cruciform…read moredome church. Located in the suburb of Södermalm, on the cliffs just to the south of the city centre, this impressive landmark church is also a centre for music and the arts. A chapel was first established on the site in the 1330s. A new chapel was erected on the site in 1588 by the Johann III. This commemorated Sten Sture, one of the members of the aristocracy and former regent. His body was exhumed and mutilated during the excavations carried out by the joint monarch of Denmark, Norway and (briefly) Sweden, Christian II, during what is known as the Stockholm Bloodbath. In due course, as the suburb of Södermalm developed, its parish was subdivided, and the Katerina parish was established in 1654, named after the mother of Karl X Gustav. Construction of the church began in 1656, to the designs of Jean de la Valleé. He chose a Greek Cross plan, topped with a huge dome. It was the location of a series of notorious witch trials in the 1670s, when 14 people were executed on the testimony of children. This church was destroyed by fire in 1723, and restoration took place in stages between 1734 and 1784. This church stood until 1990, when another fire took hold, thought to have been started by an electrical fault. This destroyed the interior and the dome, but the exterior walls and transeptal towers survived. Restoration was completed by 1995, in the style of the church of 1784. The interior is spacious and filled with light. Two artefacts survive from the original church: a crucifix, dating to 1450, thought to have been from the Sture Chapel; and a very fine brass chandelier, dating to 1734. A new organ was installed, with a facade matching that of the original by Jean Eric Rehn's original of 1763. It also contains a number of modern art works, including an altar portal by Liss Eriksson, a cross by Claes Terras, a crown of thorns by Gunnar Hillgren and canvas by textile artist Kajsa Melanton. As well as regular Sunday services, the church is open most days for visits and also hosts regular concerts (for which the acoustics are excellent).

We visited Skorkyrkan (Stockholm Cathedral) one morning last week when we were exploring Gamla stan…read more(Old Town) in Stockholm. The church is the oldest in Stockholm; it was consecrated in 1306, but construction may have started in the 13th century. The interior of Storkyrkan maintains its medieval appearance, with beautiful brick pillars. The exterior is Baroque, the result of 18th century renovations. The church was the place where Mass was first celebrated in the Swedish language, and it has an interesting history and was the scene of historical events on numerous occasions (including as a coronation church for centuries). Don't miss the late medieval sculpture of Saint George and the Dragon inside! As the oldest church in Stockholm, it's well worth a visit if you're exploring Gamla stan!

It was an interesting church to visit, mostly because of the Gothic style decor. The altar area was…read moreadorned in black and silver, rather than the traditional gold. I was a bit disappointed by the entrance fee. I understand having to make money, but I would have preferred to make a donation of my own choosing. Once you bought an entrance fee for the day, though, you could come back as many times as you wanted throughout the day. One treat was the organ player was there while we happened to be walking around, so we got to listen to some music as well.

Tyska Kyrkan located that in the oldtown, the church sometime becalled St. Gertrude's Church, it is…read moreGerman Church which happens to be in Stockholm. It belongs to the German saint Gertrude Parish. It is quite a popular tourist attraction in Stockholm. The reason I visited this church, mostly because of its interior design, and had some many churches in Germany, This one is quite similar with the others I had saw. Its interior is baroque style and very classic look. IT's so huge or luxury like some of churches I saw back in Germany, it did got some nice part of it, the pulpit and King's gallery looked really good, I also like how the church outside look like. The church in total 86 meters tall, it was completed in 1878. That made it really easy to find in the old town. It's a cool place to visit.

Beautiful room. I found Tyska because I was visiting in Sweden and wanted a traditional service…read more Couldn't find anything in English, since I understand German decently (but not Swedish), I settled on this place. As an organist, I appreciated the music and the great sound in the room. The service was poignant and gave me a bit of respite and reflection to begin my day.

S:ta Clara kyrka was another church that I visited during my time in the city. This one is located…read moreit in the central of the city really close to Kulturhuset, but more of people will just walk passed it because all the nice thing on the shopping street which just close by. When I was on the way to this place, one minute ago still full of people, and next minute, the street was just as quite as like a regular street on Sunday. The first I visit this place was on Saturday, but they close quite earlier on that day, so I just give it a small walk around the church. I like the look of the church. Especially the top of the building, some small detail just looks different what I saw back in Germany, and the top of the church is much taller than usual. The church is surrounded by modern building, it was quite a interesting feeling to see the small graveyard next to such a busy area. I came back again at my last day of my trip, so I could have a look of the church inside. The church inside is much more humble than I was expecting. That explained why the church isn't as popular as Tyska Kyrkan. I think, if you visit some cool church in Stockholm, probably should check out the other church. This church is more for the prayers. If you close by, sure, just have a walk there, it is free admission.

A glorious experience .. Visiting St Clara's In Sweden …read more.. Close to the train station .. Warm and friendly reception .. Went bank more than once to sit and do meditations ... Went to organ Concert by Swedish musician ... Glorious .. The church dates to 1200 era .. Been rebuilt many times .. Organ added in 2007...greet restaurants close by .. coffee house close by on Queens Street... Two great department stores across the street ...

Saint Eric's Cathedral is located on Folkungagatan near the intersection with Gotgatan. We…read moreattended Saturday evening vigil mass for our Sunday obligation due to a commitment all day Sunday. The mass was celebrated in English with lots of incense and English songbooks were provided. We found the web site for the church easy to sort out on mass times, once we broke the code on Saint Eric's vs. its Swedish name . . . The church is located near Mariatorget section of Stockholm. On Sodermalm island. About a twenty minute or so walk from the old town Gamla Stan section. The one confusing aspect to a non-Swedish speaker is that the Church's web site and other web sites will often refer not to Saint Eric's Cathedral (google maps uses Saint Eric's Cathedral), but "katolskadomkyrkan" which apparently translated into something like Catholic Church (kyrk). The church has a very old and beautiful exterior and part of the interior -- clearly hundreds of years old and beautiful for photos. The heart of the Church has a Vatican II feel. There is a public transportation stop near the church. Saint Eric's is about a five or eight minute walk from the Mariatorget subway stop. The church is very close to the Hotel Rival AB.

Summertime isn't complete without a picnic or BBQ at Vitabergs. The morning is beautiful with the…read moresunrise over a sleepy city, the evening is splendid with all the people as the sun sets over the night. Only downside, bring your own blanket, lots of snus and cigarette butts on the ground. :-(

Vitabergsparken. Also known as Vita Bergen, Vitan - and the best park in Stockholm…read more That's my humble opinion, and I've been to quite a few! Yes, Hagaparken is fantastic and massive, and definitely takes second place. But there's something so personal, so special, about Vita Bergen. While Hagaparken feels modern, there's something classic and romantic about Vitabergsparken. Perhaps it's the name, White Mountains. Perhaps it's the decadent and impressive Sofia Church, more than 100 years old, which towers upon the hill. Perhaps it's the history - this part of Södermalm has had its name since the early 1800s. It was once one of the poorest parts of Stockholm, and Swedish playwright August Strindberg featured the area in his novel The Red Room. Today it's one of the most hip and vibrant parts of the island, located right by Nytorget, aka the cafe and cultural centrum of Stockholm's artsy elite. The park is massive, and has an outdoor amphitheatre, a gazebo, a playground, and plenty of trees and alcoves with BBQ grills and picnic tables. There are always friends and couples and families relaxing here, and the park echoes with laughter - but there's always room to put down a blanket and have your own little square of peace and quiet. But it also has its modern and even futuristic aspects. Here's a little trivia: Deep in the mountains, the Pionen center is nestled. Pionen used to be a civil defence center and Cold War bunker, but in 2008 it was converted into a data center. I haven't been in there, and I'm not sure you can get in at all if you don't work there, but there are some pretty awesome pictures online - it's a deep-space modern data center featuring fountains, a fish tank, greenhouses, and more, below 30 metres of granite. Anyway, let's go back above ground. Vitaberg is my go-to spot for picnics, fika, playing games like Swedish 'kubb', and also big events like birthday celebrations and of course Midsummer. The park is also famous for its amphitheatre which is used frequently for the Summer Theatre series, with plays, ballet, and poetry onstage multiple nights a week. It's green, lush, clean, and quiet. The winding, meandering paths zigzag across the hill, and it's easy to take the path less travelled here. It's easy to get lost, but it's easy to get found. A dozen hidden staircases take you down from the hills onto the street, and quaint red-painted cottages dot the edges. It's a perfect place for sunrise, and unbeatable for sunsets. It's no wonder that Vitaberg has been featured in multiple modern Swedish pop songs. There's a popular song by Rebecca & Fiona called 'The Bells of Vitaberg': "When the bells of Vitaberg ring, you know that the night is ours. Time is running when Vitaberg's bells ring; you know the night is ours, and my heart is pounding."