The most beautiful religious buildings Stockholm

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.

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.

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.

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.

Built on a rocky outcrop called Brunkebergsåsen, St John's Church was built in only six years and completed in 1890. The interior, in pure neo-Gothic style, is well worth seeing. The organ and the stained glass windows are superb, and the brown and orange colours that adorn the pillars and the arches are original enough to surprise the visitor. The park around the church is quite nice and Stockholmers sunbathe in the summer.