St. Olof's Church Ruins

Sigtuna, Sweden

St. Olof's Church was originally built around the year 1100 and it consisted of a main tower, chancel and nave. It was later extended, but the construction was probably interrupted when archbishop’s seat was moved to Gamla Uppsala in the 12th century.

St. Olof's church has been influenced by the Nidaros Cathedral in Norway, while the small tapering windows have an Anglo-Saxon style. The church is dedicated to the Norwegian viking Olaf Tryggvasson, king between 995-1000.

It is not certain by whom the church was built. Most probably it was authored by the Benedictines or local trade guild. Archaelogical excavations have revealed remains under the church, which are thought to have belonged to an even older stone church. It may have been one of the first built in Sweden.

References:

Address

Olofsgatan 9, Sigtuna, Sweden

See all sites in Sigtuna

Details

Founded: ca.1100
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Sweden
Historical period: Consolidation (Sweden)

More Information

wadbring.com

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

St. Mary's Church (0,1 km)
Sigtuna Museum (0,4 km)

Storkyrkan (38 km)
Finnish Church (38,1 km)
Axel Oxenstierna Palace (38 km)
Gamla Stan (38,1 km)
Tessin Palace (38,1 km)
Royal Palace (38 km)
German Church (38,2 km)
The Royal Coin Cabinet (38,1 km)
Vasa Museum (38,5 km)

User Reviews

Lisbeth Stewart (8 months ago)
If the 3 church ruins in Sigtuna (& one site of former ruin) this is the most impressive. There is a translation plaque for a runestone at the fence beside the road, but I couldn’t find the actual stone with runes.

John Magno (8 months ago)
Pretty cool that it's still standing 900 years later! We love Ruins and architectural design! And, architectural wonders that have stood the test of time!

Ryker Barrowcliffe (11 months ago)
This was an amazing and iconic old church. Really lovely to see how things where built and how they still stand to this day.

Scott Wright (12 months ago)
If you like looking at ruins. This one's quite interesting. You get to walk inside and look around. The rocks are a little different that this one was built with. Just as old as any of the others around the country. But around this church is also some standing stones. There's another little church remains kind of kitty corner

Shri Gupta (2 years ago)
Looks fantastic despite being ruins

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 Following Hadrian

Historic Site of the week

Walls of Constantinople

The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.

Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.