Skara Cathedral

Skara, Sweden

Skara Cathedral is the seat for the bishop of the Church of Sweden Diocese of Skara. It is also one the largest churches in Sweden. The history of cathedral is traced from the 11th century and it was inaugurated as a cathedral around 1150. The current appearance is from the 13th century. The current Gothic design dates to the 1886-1894 restoration under the leadership of architect Helgo Zettervall. The furnishings are unique and include the Soop Mausoleum and Bo Beskow´s handsome glass mosaic window.

The church has a medieval crypt that was found in 1949 after having been buried under stones since the 13th century. A grave, containing a skeleton, was found in the crypt, which is within the oldest (11th century) part of the cathedral. The church is 65 meters long and the towers reach a height of 63 meters.

References:

Address

Södra Kyrkogatan 1, Skara, Sweden

See all sites in Skara

Details

Founded: 11th century
Category: Religious sites in Sweden
Historical period: Viking Age (Sweden)

More Information

www.vastsverige.com
en.wikipedia.org
www.skarapastorat.se

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Brunsbo Village (3,4 km)
Händene Church (3,9 km)

Lidköping City Hall (21 km)
Åsle Tå (27,3 km)
Läckö Castle (34,5 km)
Varnhem Abbey (12,6 km)
Falbygden Museum (25,1 km)
Gudhem Abbey Ruins (17,6 km)
Mariestad Cathedral (42,5 km)
Husaby Castle Ruins (15,9 km)
Husaby Church (15,8 km)

User Reviews

Shahzada Hatim (7 months ago)
Nice church building, as old as Notredam in Paris.

Dr. Faisal Kabir (2 years ago)
Beautiful church, specially the glass color

Anna (2 years ago)
Beautiful architecture ?

Laitz (2 years ago)
Looks brilliant from the outside, almost as good on the inside :o I preferred St Nikolai in Lidköping which I went to yesterday though…

Anne Pedersen (2 years ago)
Old church worh visiting. Weelchair accessably was okay. The paintings on the glass is worth a closer look. ??‍??

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.