The most beautiful religious buildings Sweden

Riddarholmskyrkan (Knights' Church) is the only medieval church still visible in Stockholm. It houses the tombs of the kings of Sweden. It is here that Gustav II Adolf, Charles XII, Charles XIV John, Gustav V and their wives are buried. The coats of arms of the knights of the Royal Order of the Seraphim are also displayed here, and cover part of the walls of the building. The church, originally a Franciscan monastery, was built in 1280. Its bell tower overlooks the island of Riddarholmen.

Dating from 1912, this very pretty church built on the model of a Lappish hut is worth seeing. As you get closer, you notice that it seems to be entirely covered with red wooden tiles. The bright gold-plated statues that adorn it create a striking contrast with the dark red colour of the rest of the building. Inside, the magnificent sculpture of St. George and the dragon, the altar and, just above, the frieze painted by Lotten Zeinwoldt are worthy of note.

Rather well preserved, the ruins of these two churches built in the th century dominate the lake. They are the memory of Sigtuna, and are among the first stone buildings erected in the Mälaren Lake area. By all seasons, under the snow or under the spring sun, the rough stones and vaults have a typical charm and recall the ferveur of the Nordic peoples, freshly christianized, to honor God.

Gothic church from the ^14th and ^15th centuries. The ^15th century tabernacle and the silver treasure in the crypt of the sacristy are worth seeing, as well as the imposing golden chandelier hanging from the vaults. If you look carefully, you will find a hat, the signature of the anonymous donor who gave this piece to the parish. The floor has been redone, as it is said that it had become uneven because of all the tombstones that had sunk on one side and risen on the other over the years!

A very beautiful building, whose originality lies in the double belfry that juts out from the imposing orange-red façade. According to legend, the church was first built in wood around the year 1000 by St. Sigfrid, who came from England (a sculpture shows him with his three nephews). In the 12th century it was rebuilt in stone, and the base of the tower still dates from this period. The cathedral found its final configuration around 1500.

The façade, in the shape of a Greek cross, evokes ancient temples. Inaugurated in 1906, this church has a quiet and spacious interior. The dome, decorated with a fresco depicting the transfiguration of Christ, provides a vast shaft of light. The four evangelists are represented at the intersection of the transepts. The altar was originally created to adorn the cathedral in Uppsala, but was finally installed here after a long stay at the Nordic Museum in Skansen.

It is the largest church in Scandinavia. Gothic in style, with a renovated interior after the fire that ravaged it in 1702, it is a curious mixture of medieval architecture, Art Nouveau (most of the frescoes were done in the early ^20th century) and Baroque, with the largest pulpit in the country. Behind the altar lies King Gustav Vasa with two of his wives, in a majestic azure chapel. A chapel is also dedicated to St. Brigid.

You will appreciate the atmosphere of this beautiful church, whose interior turns blue in winter, because of the snowy reflection through the windows. The somewhat naive representation of the aurora borealis behind the altar is truly magical. It is the work of the painter Ivar Hjertqvist. This church dates from 1902; it replaces an older one that was demolished. It was designed by the architect Gustaf Hermansson in an experimental neo-gothic style and has 3 naves. Its architecture is inspired by the church of Jokkmokk, erected 15 years earlier.

Between the beginning of the ^12th and the end of the ^13th century, the city was an important commercial crossroads in the Hanseatic League. Slavic, Russian, German, Polish and Baltic communities settled in the various districts of Visby and, quite naturally, built places of worship there. Damaged by the attacks of the Danes or the Lübeck troops, by fires or by wear and tear over the centuries, seven churches stand today with their medieval skeletons between the ramparts. An exceptional and astonishing concentration that the visitor will discover during his walks. Take the time to stroll around and have a good look at everything, because there are many very interesting buildings to discover. Here is the list:

Sankta Katarina. On Stortorget, completed around 1250 by the Franciscan order. The ruins of this gothic church dominate the main square.

Sankt Nikolaus. Also called "the cultural cathedral" (Kulturdralen) where concerts and plays are held in summer.

St.Helge Ands. Built around 1200, this church is unique in Sweden: its bell tower is octagonal, like those in the medieval castles of Charlemagne's Europe.

Sankt Lars. A church whose architectural structure is characteristic of the Byzantine style.

The other ruined churches : Sankt Drotten, almost next to Sankt Lars, Sankt Clemens, Sankt Hans, of which almost nothing remains. So you'll have to imagine!

Built on the site of the former convent of St. Clare founded in 1280, the present church dates from the ^18th and ^19th centuries. This beautiful red brick building, located in the heart of the modern center, is adorned with the most impressive (and probably the highest) bell tower in the city. Freshly renovated, it shoots a copper spire into the sky and houses the largest carillon in Stockholm. The southern façade is covered with ivy, giving the garden a poetic touch.

The church was built in 1893 by Helgo Zetterwall in the neo-Gothic style. The windows in the choir and the frescoes depicting the three wise men and the baptism of Jesus were painted in 1930 by the artist Albert Eldh. In the chapel to the left of the choir, a wardrobe dates from 1893. The sound is provided by large organs with 47 registers built in 1967. The choir organ with 6 registers dates from 1952, a real wonder!

A church built between 1768 and 1774, renovated several times until 1997. It is worth a short stop for its neoclassical interior and its rococo ornaments, the fresco on its dome and the Descartes Monument, a sculpture by the artist Johan Tobias Sergel dedicated to the French philosopher who died in Stockholm after his stay at the Swedish Court during the reign of Queen Christine. In the cemetery surrounding the building lies the assassinated Prime Minister Olof Palme.

Located on the largest island of Storjsön, Frösö Church is a popular venue for religious weddings. According to ancient myths, the island was dedicated to the fertility god, Frö. Dating from the 12th century, it is topped by a magnificent 18th century wooden bell tower. One of its bells was cast with copper extracted from a mine on the Åre mountain. In Frösö Cemetery, ancestors from different eras are buried up to pre-Christian times.

The village has a white church from the ^12th century with a grey, pointed bell tower. The architecture is typical of medieval Gotland churches. The large square tower next to the bell tower is called a kastal, a fortified tower that protected the sacred building. Minor remains of an earlier Romanesque church are included in the present church. Research estimates that the tower dates from 1340. Its upper part was destroyed by a storm in 1522, after which the top floor was demolished and its present superstructure and spire were erected.

This church, with its bell tower decorated with both a cross and a rooster, dominates the city and offers a superb view of Gothenburg and its estuary. It was inaugurated in 1914 and offers an excellent example of the national romantic architectural trend. The exterior is quite austere, with red stones and bricks, tiles and a massive 60 m high bell tower. However, the interior is full of surprises: the imposing wooden frame immediately catches the eye.

A large church that dominates the square and in which free lunch concerts are given in winter. Originally it was called Örebro kyrka because it was the only religious building in the city belonging to the Swedish Church. Construction began in the late ^13th century and was completed in the ^mid-14th century. For the record, it was here that the decision was made to make the French Empire Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte the Prince of the Kingdom, in 1810.

This cathedral with its atypical shape (the building is relatively low, but the tip of the bell tower is huge) was built in the 13th century and holds in its museum a collection of silver objects dating back to that time. The present church was originally built as a three-storey Romanesque basilica in the 13th century and consecrated on 16 August 1271. The cathedral has undergone many extensions since then. It also houses the marble tomb of King Erik XIV.

About kilometres south appears the village of Bredsätra. The ruins of the St. Birgitta Chapel of the 5 th century are km beyond the coast. It's an excellent place for bird watching.

It can be reached on foot in a few minutes (towards the south). Built in 1685, it is probably the work of the architect Erik Dahlberg. The church is built entirely of wood and painted red. The wood for the church was transported from Riga, now the capital of Latvia, but in the 1680s the city belonged to Sweden and was the largest city in the kingdom. The Rosenbaum statue shows an old man wearing a hat and holding out his hand.