As promised! Last week I wrote about our
day trip to Uppsala but I saved information about the cathedral for a separate blog article (otherwise the Uppsala article would have been too darn long!).
Uppsala Cathedral is the largest and tallest church in the Nordic countries and shouldn't be missed when visiting Uppsala (in my opinion). Construction began in the late 1200's but building went slowly due to plague, war and the cold climate and the cathedral wasn't complete until the 1400's. Built in the French Gothic Style, the cathedral has changed somewhat through the years due to several fires which have damaged it.
Uppsala Cathedral was especially important for Swedish history during the Middle Ages and was where the coronations of the Swedish kings and queens took place up until the 1700's (when they were moved to
Storkyrkan Cathedral in Stockholm). It is the seat of the Archbishop of Uppsala... the primate of all of Sweden since 1164 (both during the Catholic and Lutheran periods).
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| Gustav Vasa and wives... |
There are many points of interest within the cathedral. For example you have several Swedish kings and queens buried here, including
Gustav Vasa (often called the "father of the nation") and his son
Johan III. Other notable people buried here include
Emmanuel Swedenborg and
Carl Linnáeus. The relics of
St Bridget (founder of the Bridgettine Order of nuns and one of the six patron saints of Europe) and
St Erik (legendary king and patron saint of Stockholm) are found in the Finsta Chapel within the cathedral.
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| Johan III at rest. |
In the Treasury Museum, also located within the cathedral, you have an interesting collection of fabrics and gold & silver objects. Here you will also find
Queen Margareta's gold dress (only surviving evening gown from the Middle Ages) and the only complete men's outfit from the Renaissance Era.
Check
my earlier article on how to get to Uppsala from Stockholm and the
Rival Hotel.
The cathedral is located across the Fyris river from the train station and the walk takes about 20 minutes or so. If you get lost, just look for the 118+ meter tall towers which can be seen from many parts in the city.
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| 118 meter high towers seen from afar. |
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| Love is in the... |
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| ...details. |
Uppsala Cathedral is the largest and tallest church in the Nordic countries and shouldn't be missed when visiting Uppsala (in my opinion). Construction began in the late 1200's but building went slowly due to plague, war and the cold climate and the cathedral wasn't complete until the 1400's. Built in the French Gothic Style, the cathedral has changed somewhat through the years due to several fires which have damaged it.
Uppsala Cathedral was especially important for Swedish history during the Middle Ages and was where the coronations of the Swedish kings and queens took place up until the 1700's (when they were moved to Storkyrkan Cathedral in Stockholm). It is the seat of the Archbishop of Uppsala... the primate of all of Sweden since 1164 (both during the Catholic and Lutheran periods).
Check my earlier article on how to get to Uppsala from Stockholm and the Rival Hotel. The cathedral is located across the Fyris river from the train station and the walk takes about 20 minutes or so. If you get lost, just look for the 118+ meter tall towers which can be seen from many parts in the city.
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