Strängnäs Cathedral is built mainly of bricks in the characteristic Scandinavian Brick Gothic style. The original church was built of wood, probably during the first decades of the 12th century, on a spot where pagan rituals used to take place and where the missionary Saint Eskil was killed during the mid 11th century. The wooden church was not rebuilt in stone and bricks until 1296, just after Strängnäs became a diocese. The cathedral was probably inaugurated by bishop Styrbjörn in 1334.
The oldest murals date from the 14th century. The Strängnäs Cathedral was enlarged in several phases during the 15th century and it was damaged by fire in 1473. Bishop Kort Rogge (1479-1501) donated two crucifixes which are still located in the cathedral. The larger one is made in Brussels around 1490. There are also many other significant medieval artefacts in the cathedral. The cathedral contains also the burials of Charles IX of Sweden and Maria of Palatinate-Simmern.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.