Storkyrkan, Lutheran cathedral in Gamla stan, Stockholm, Sweden
Storkyrkan is Stockholm's oldest church, standing between the Royal Palace and Stortorget in Gamla stan. Its brick interior is a five-aisled hall church with vaulted ceilings on brick pillars, while the exterior was given its present Baroque form in the 1730s, when the buttresses became pilasters with banded rustication and the west tower received corner quoins, pediments and a lantern.
The church was founded in 1279 and is one of the city's oldest structures. It has been the setting for many royal coronations and ceremonies that shaped the relationship between the monarchy and the city.
The name Storkyrkan, 'the Great Church', came into use once other churches existed in the city; in the Middle Ages it was simply Bykyrkan, the town church. Since the 19th century the opening of the Riksdag has begun with a service here, and the church is still used for the funerals of public figures such as Astrid Lindgren.
The building is best visited during regular opening hours and sits in the old town where parking is limited. Its proximity to bus stops and the center of the old district makes it easy to reach on foot when exploring nearby attractions.
Vädersolstavlan, kept in the church, shows the sun dogs seen over Stockholm in April 1535; the original was painted by Urban målare and the version on view is a 1636 copy by Jacob Heinrich Elbfas. The painting is also the earliest known depiction of the city.
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