Saint John's Church, Gothic Revival church in Norrmalm, Sweden
Saint John's Church is a Gothic Revival church built of granite, not red brick, with a 70-metre tower topped by a spire. Its exterior includes a large gable with a stone cross, corner buttresses, and a main entrance framed by a triple Gothic arch. The church is oriented north-south with the choir to the north, and statues of the apostles Peter and Paul flank the portal.
The church was inaugurated in 1890, replacing an earlier wooden church that stood in the same location. It was built during a period of major urban growth and expansion in Stockholm.
Since the late 1970s the church has hosted the Polish Catholic mission in Stockholm, and more recently the Ukrainian Catholic mission. The Catholic Diocese of Stockholm took ownership on 26 June 2025, and Cardinal Anders Arborelius consecrated it as a Catholic church on 1 May 2026.
The church is open to visitors on weekdays and welcomes those interested in exploring its interior spaces and architecture. It is best to visit during posted opening hours and respect any ongoing services or events.
Despite its Gothic Revival exterior, the church was built with late-19th-century techniques resembling early skyscrapers: a steel structure in the spire and an eight-ton counterweight in the tower. The rusted counterweight forced the church to close for renovation in 2021, and the restoration bill rose from an estimated 43 million to 226 million Swedish krona.
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