Maria Magdalena Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of Saint Mary Magdalene |
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| Location | Stockholm County |
| Country | Sweden |
| Denomination | Church of Sweden |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Mary Magdalene |
| Consecrated | 1634 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Stockholm |
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The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene (Swedish: S:ta Maria Magdalena kyrka) is a beautiful church located in central Stockholm, Sweden. It stands on Södermalm island and is named after Mary Magdalene, a companion of Jesus.
The church has a large main hall called a nave but no side aisles. At its eastern end, there is a three-sided choir area. This is where the main altar is located. The church also has a transept, which is the part that crosses the main hall.
Inside, you can see many interesting features. The painting on the main altar is called Adoration of the Shepherds. It was created by Louis Masreliez around the year 1800. The pulpit, where sermons are given, has a fancy Baroque design. It was first used in 1763 and features a medallion with a picture of Mary Magdalene.
The front of the church's main organ was designed in 1774 by Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz. The organ you see today has 50 stops and was built in 1927. There is also a second organ, added in 1986, and a smaller third organ in the choir area.
The baptismal font dates back to 1638. Some items survived a big fire in 1759, including a very old copper pan used for sacraments. This pan is the oldest item in the church. You can also find special memorials called epitaphs for famous people. These include Christopher Polhem, a Swedish scientist, and Carl Michael Bellman, a well-known poet and composer.
Beneath the church, there are old burial chambers. Along the south side of the churchyard, there are burial chapels. One of these chapels is now used by the Finnish Orthodox Church in Sweden. Many important people are buried here, including writers and artists like Lasse Lucidor, Erik Johan Stagnelius, Werner Aspenström, Karl August Nicander, and Evert Taube.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
Building the First Chapel
The story of this church began a long time ago, in the 1350s. King Magnus Eriksson received permission from Pope Clement VI to build a funeral chapel on this very spot. He dedicated this first chapel to Mary Magdalene.
We don't have many records about what happened to that first building. Old pictures show it as a small church with one main hall and a tall tower with a pointy top.
From Destruction to a New Start
In the early 1520s, during a time of war, King Gustav Vasa and his soldiers camped in the chapel. They faced a tough attack from the troops of Christian II of Denmark. This event might have been one reason why King Vasa later decided to destroy many churches and chapels around Stockholm. This happened after Protestantism became the main religion in 1527. The chapel of Mary Magdalene was among those destroyed.
However, King Vasa's son, King John III, started building a new church on the same site in 1588. Sadly, he passed away in 1592, and the construction stopped. The church remained unfinished for many years until it was finally completed in 1634.
Rebuilding After the Great Fire
Two famous architects, Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and his son Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, helped give the church its grand Baroque look. The elder Tessin designed a beautiful spire for the church tower, which was finished in 1676. He thought it was the most beautiful spire in Stockholm!
But in 1759, a terrible fire destroyed the spire and about 300 buildings nearby. Superintendent Carl Johan Cronstedt was given the job of rebuilding the church. He finished his work in 1763. He carefully kept much of the original design by the Tessins. Because of his work, the church still looks very much like it did back then. Johan Hafwersatt and Christian von Thum added decorative paintings to the church in 1683 and 1684.
The church's interior was restored in 1927. In 1986, the yellow color on the outside of the church was refreshed.
See also
- List of churches in Stockholm
