Linköping Cathedral, Lutheran cathedral in Linköping, Sweden
Linköping Cathedral is a Gothic building with a 107-metre west tower topped by a slender spire designed by Helgo Zettervall in 1886. Its pale stone walls have tall pointed-arch windows and buttresses, and the interior is a tall nave with clustered columns, ribbed vaulting, wooden pews and chairs, and brass chandeliers. The 16th-century Crucifixion altarpiece by Maarten van Heemskerck hangs near the south wall.
Construction began in the 12th century as a stone basilica and was expanded in the 13th century with the addition of a transept and new choir section. This expansion shaped the form that visitors see today.
The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Peter, called Sankte Per in medieval Sweden. In the blind arcade on the left side of the interior, a row of carved figures, both humans and fabulous beasts, is attributed to English stonemasons of the 14th century. The motifs were likely taken from available pattern books and placed without narrative connection.
The cathedral sits across from Linköping Castle, making it easy to visit when walking through the city center. Visitors can attend services or catch organ performances that happen throughout the year.
The green copper roof seen today was restored to its 17th-century shape in 1967; the copper sheeting's corrosion produces the colour. The tower reaches 107 metres, and the west facade was built in haste between 1308 and 1360 with influence from Cologne Cathedral, partly with faulty construction.
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