Katarina Church Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Katarina kyrka
January 2013 view of Katarina kyrka from outside
Religion
Affiliation	Church of Sweden
Rite	Protestant
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Parish church
Year consecrated	1724
Location
Location	Stockholm, Sweden
Architecture
Architectural style	Baroque
Groundbreaking	1656
Completed	1695
Website
Official Website: http://www.svenskakyrkan.se/katarina/language/nb-SE/Default.aspx/

Katarina kyrka (which means Church of Catherine) is a very important and well-known church in central Stockholm, Sweden. It was first built a long time ago, between 1656 and 1695. This church has been rebuilt two times because of big fires. The most recent rebuilding happened in the 1990s. The area around the church, called Katarina-Sofia borough, is named after this church's parish and the nearby Sofia church.

History of Katarina Church
Special Features of the Church
- Karl XII's Staircase
Images for kids
See also

History of Katarina Church

Building the First Church

The construction of Katarina Church began when Charles X of Sweden was king. The church is named after Princess Catherine, who was the king's mother. She was also the half-sister of Gustavus Adolphus, another famous Swedish king.

The first architect who designed the church was Jean de la Vallée. Building the church took a very long time because there wasn't enough money.

Fires and Rebuilding

In 1723, a huge fire destroyed the church and many other buildings in the area. But people started rebuilding it almost right away! Göran Josua Adelcrantz, who was the city's architect at the time, was in charge. He designed a new, larger tower for the church that had eight sides, which is called an octagon.

On May 17, 1990, the church caught fire again. This time, almost everything inside was destroyed, and only the outer walls were left standing. Architect Ove Hidemark led the project to rebuild the church once more. It was finished and reopened in 1995. A brand new pipe organ was built for the church by a company in the Netherlands called J. L. van den Heuvel Orgelbouw.

Famous People Buried Here

Many well-known Swedes are buried in the cemetery around Katarina Church. One of the most famous is Anna Lindh, who was a former Foreign Minister. Other notable people buried here include the popular Dutch-Swedish singer Cornelis Vreeswijk, former football player Sven Bergqvist, Rapper Einár, and Sten Sture the Elder, a historical leader.

The van den Heuvel pipe organ

Special Features of the Church

Karl XII's Staircase

Karl XII's Trappa (which means Karl XII's Staircase) is a beautiful double staircase that leads from the cemetery up to the church's southern entrance. It's famous for its fancy railing. This staircase was built between 1712 and 1715 and was officially opened in 1715. You can see this date on the landing of the stairs.

The staircase is named after Charles XII of Sweden, who was the king at that time. His special royal symbol is carved above the dedication date. A skilled Blacksmith named Benjamin Roth made the railing. His son, Carl Roth, later fixed it up in 1776.

On the pillars next to the staircase, there's a long poem carved into the stone. This poem talks about King Karl XII and encourages people to think about their faith as they walk up to the church. It compares the staircase to Jacob's Ladder from the Bible, where angels went up and down. The poem reminds visitors to enter the church with faith and to remember God sees them.

Images for kids

Karl XII's Stair at Katarina Church in Stockholm, Sweden.
Karl XII's seal / badge from the landing area of Karl XII's Stair at Katarina Church in Stockholm, Sweden.
Markings from Charles XII's Stair at Katarina Church in Stockholm, Sweden. Made by Benjamin Roth.
The new altar