Katarina Church, Stockholm, Sweden

Katarina kyrka (Church of Catherine) was originally constructed in 1656–1695. It has been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fires, the second time during the 1990s. The Katarina-Sofia borough is named after theparish and the neighbouring parish of Sofia.

Construction of the church started during the reign of Charles X of Sweden, and the church is named after Princess Catherine, mother of the king, wife of John Casimir, Palsgrave of Pfalz-Zweibrücken and half-sister of Gustavus Adolphus. The original architect was Jean de la Vallée. The construction was severely delayed due to shortage of funds.

In 1723 the church, together with half of the buildings in the parish, was completely destroyed in a major fire. Rebuilding started almost immediately, under supervision of Göran Josua Adelcrantz, the city architect, who designed a larger, octagonal tower.

May 17, 1990, the church burned down again. Almost nothing but the external walls remained. Architect Ove Hidemark was responsible for rebuilding the church, which was reopened in 1995. The new organ was built by J. L. van den Heuvel Orgelbouw in the Netherlands.

Several famous Swedes are buried in the cemetery surrounding the church, most notable the assassinated Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, nationally popular Dutch-Swedish singer Cornelis Vreeswijk and Sten Sture the Elder.

References:

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User Reviews

shaily tasnim (2 years ago)
Lucia's procession held here was beautiful.

Marge Constanza (3 years ago)
A beautiful church! Has been burned twice!

Sinéad Daly (4 years ago)
Beautiful church, my favourite one to go into and meditate. Usually very quiet, or the scene of gorgeous weddings/ solemn funerals. The last wedding was performed outside in the sun, with the organ playing inside but the doors wide open so everyone could here, and singers performing right there amongst the graves. People respectfully stopped to watch. Usually some sunbathers or people sitting on benches but not rowdy. NOTE: someone was assaulted at this churchyard (2020), so please be careful, especially at night or times where the area is empty. Be vigilant.

Karin Dixey (5 years ago)
It was beautiful. I've been twice but never inside the chapel. My daughter and I fell in love with the beauty of the church and the equally beautiful cemetery. I took my dad ţ visit the following year. He, too, loved it.

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