Riddarholmen Church, Stockholm, Sweden

The Riddarholmen Church (Riddarholmskyrkan) is the burial church of the Swedish monarchs. The congregation was dissolved in 1807 and today the church is used only for burial and commemorative purposes. Swedish monarchs from Gustavus Adolphus (d. 1632 AD) to Gustaf V (d. 1950) are entombed here (with exceptions such as Queen Christina who is buried within St. Peter's Basilica in Rome), as well as the earlier monarchs Magnus III (d. 1290) and Charles VIII (d. 1470).

Riddarholmen church is one of the oldest buildings in Stockholm, parts of it dating to the late 13th century, when it was built as a greyfriars monastery. After the Protestant Reformation, the monastery was closed and the building transformed into a Protestant church. A spire designed by Willem Boy was added during the reign of John III, but it was destroyed by a strike of lightning on July 28, 1835 after which it was replaced with the present cast iron spire.

Coats of arms of knights of the Order of the Seraphim 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.

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User Reviews

Gita (10 months ago)
The church is visible from so many directions and from a distance. It stands out so beautifully against Stockholm’s skyline. It’s also close to one of the best sunset spots.

G Mac (10 months ago)
One of the oldest and best preserved buildings in Stockholm. It is exquisite. It is included on the Royal Palace ticket. The gentleman inside the church was very approachable and had interesting information about the church and the graves inside the building. it is a stunning piece of architecture and important historically as it holds many of the monarch of Sweden. Well worth the visit.

Joel Scanlan (11 months ago)
I have been to a lot of cathedrals, this one certainly gives you an insight into the crypts - and how packed they are. Very interesting.

Gareth Lema (12 months ago)
What a unique place...basically a church built as the final resting place for kings and noble families. It also holds the crested shields that commemorate the members of the Order of the Seraphim. Definitely worth seeing for its beauty and significance.

Alexandra Dumitru (13 months ago)
First impression is that the exterior and the interior are from two different buildings. While the outside of the building is astonishing, the interior is clean and minimalist. The church itself is very old, from medieval times. I really enjoyed the continuity from Royal Palace, regarding noble families and aristocrats

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Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

Riddarholmen Church

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