Riddarholmen Church ( Swedish : Riddarholmskyrkan ) is the church of the former medieval Greyfriars Monastery in Stockholm, Sweden. The church serves as the final resting place of most Swedish monarchs .
15-650: Riddarholmen Church is located on the island of Riddarholmen , close to the Royal Palace in Stockholm , Sweden . 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 only one exception: Queen Christina who is buried within St. Peter's Basilica in Rome), as well as
30-468: A Greyfriars monastery built on the island about 1270, asking in his will that he be buried in it in 1285. During the Middle Ages, the original name disappeared from historical records, replaced by Gråbrödraholm ("Grey Brothers islet"), Munckholmen ("Monk Islet"), and Gråmunkeholm ("Grey Monks Islet"), the latter most commonly used until the 17th century. The monastery, however, closed following
45-500: 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 became a Lutheran church. A spire designed by Flemish architect Willem Boy (1520–1592) was added during the reign of John III , but it was destroyed by a lightning strike on 28 July 1835, after which it
60-405: Is the church Riddarholmskyrkan , used as Sweden's royal burial church from the 17th century to 1950, and where a number of earlier Swedish monarchs also lie buried. The western end of the island gives a magnificent panoramic and photogenic view of the bay Riddarfjärden , often used by TV journalists with Stockholm City Hall in the background. A statue of Birger Jarl , traditionally considered
75-627: The City Hall Left: The Wrangel and Stenbock Palaces. Below: The Hessenstein Palace. Bottom: Tower of Birger Jarl and the Riddarholm Church. Riddarholmen ( Swedish: [ˈrɪ̂dːarˌhɔlːmɛn] , "The Knights' Islet") is a small islet in central Stockholm , Sweden. The island forms part of Gamla Stan , the old town, and houses a number of private palaces dating back to the 17th century. The main landmark
90-436: The Protestant Reformation and was subsequently converted into a church. Probably as consequence, the name changed in the 1630s, the island being referred to as Riddarholmen, för detta Gråmunkeholm kallad ("Knight's Islet, formerly called Grey Monk's Islet") in 1638. The old name did persist however, so while Charles XI (1655–1697) preferred the new name, his youngest daughter Ulrika Eleonora (1688–1741) remained faithful to
105-425: The Riddarholm Church dates back to the Middle Ages, and is one of Stockholm's oldest buildings, most of the present structures on Riddarholmen were built during the 17th century when the island was an aristocratic setting that gave the islet its present name. Three of the palaces are gathered around the central public square, Birger Jarls Torg centred on the 19th-century statue of Birger Jarl : The Wrangel Palace on
120-671: The appellate court for Svealand , while the Supreme Court and the Supreme Administrative Court reside in the palaces of Bonde and Stenbock respectively. Some of the older Swedish Government Agencies , like the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency and the Chancellor of Justice , are also located on the island. According to a Swedish guide book, these anonymous institutions, together with
135-558: The earlier monarchs Magnus III (d. 1290) and Charles VIII (d. 1470). It has been discontinued as a royal burial site in favour of the Royal Cemetery and today is run by departments of the Swedish Government and Royal Court. The Church's age can be seen in its architecture, which is eclectic from various eras. Most of the church is a Northern European Gothic style , but parts of the church are also baroque . It
150-684: The founder of Stockholm, stands on a pillar in front of the Bonde Palace , north of Riddarholm Church . Other notable buildings include the Old Parliament Building in the south-eastern corner, the Old National Archive on the eastern shore, and the Norstedt Building , the old printing house of the publisher Norstedts , the tower roof of which is a well-known silhouette on the city's skyline. While
165-403: The mid-19th century renamed Birger Jarls torg after Birger Jarl , traditionally attributed as the founder of Stockholm. A statue of him was erected on the square in 1854. It was designed by Swedish sculptor Bengt Erland Fogelberg (1786–1854). The square is surrounded by six palaces, today mostly occupied by various governmental authorities. The area is isolated from the rest of the city by
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#1732782402128180-474: The motorway Centralbron that isolates the island from the rest of the city, make the island as a whole a lifeless and dull environment, despite ambitious restorations during the 1990s. The island is first mentioned as Kidaskär , literally "Kid Skerry", indicating the islet was used to graze goats, in the Eric's Chronicle ( Erikskrönikan ) from around 1325, which recounts how King Magnus Ladulås (1240–1290) had
195-507: The old. [REDACTED] Media related to Riddarholmen at Wikimedia Commons 59°19′30″N 18°03′47″E / 59.32500°N 18.06306°E / 59.32500; 18.06306 Birger Jarls Torg Birger Jarls torg is a public square on Riddarholmen in Gamla stan , the old town in Stockholm , Sweden . The square used to be called Riddarholmstorget , but was in
210-685: The west side, the most impressive, incorporates a medieval defensive tower and a portal designed by Nicodemus Tessin the Elder ; the Stenbock and Hessenstein Palaces on the east side are less elaborate. North of the square, the two 19th-century wings of the Palace of Schering Rosenhane reach the rustic main building, which dates from the 17th century. Wrangel Palace , and the palaces of Hessenstein, and Schering Rosenhane are today used by Svea Hovrätt ,
225-772: Was replaced with the present cast-iron spire. Traditionally, the armorial plates depiciting the arms of deceased knights of the Royal Order of the Seraphim are affixed to the walls of the church. When a knight of the Order dies, his coat of arms is carried from the royal palace and rehung in the church, and when the funeral takes place the church's bells are rung without pause from 12:00 to 13:00. 59°19′29″N 18°03′53″E / 59.32472°N 18.06472°E / 59.32472; 18.06472 Riddarholmen Top: View from Södermalm . Above: Panoramic view from
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