Filadelfiakyrkan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Filadelfia Church
Filadelfiakyrkan
Filadelfiakyrkan in May 2010
Location	Stockholm
Country	Sweden
Denomination	Swedish Pentecostal Movement
History
Consecrated	2 November 1930
Administration
Parish	Philadelphia Stockholm

The Filadelfia Church (called Filadelfiakyrkan in Swedish) is a large church building in Stockholm, Sweden. It's located at Rörstrandsgatan 7. This church was officially opened on November 2, 1930.

The building belongs to the Filadelfia Stockholm congregation. This group is part of the Swedish Pentecostal Movement. As of 2015, it had about 5,400 members. This makes it the largest Pentecostal church group in Europe.

The Stockholm City Museum says this building is very important. It has a high historical and cultural value. The church is next to Rörstrand Castle. A school called Kaggeholm Folk High School has been there since 2019. The church building was recently updated. It cost over 100 million SEK to remodel it.

The Church Building

How the Church Was Built

The Filadelfia Church was built between 1929 and 1930. The plans were made by an architect named Birger Jonson. Karl Ljungberg's company built it. The church was officially opened on November 2, 1930.

The church was built on the old site of Rörstrand Porcelain factory. Part of the old Rörstrand castle was taken down to make space. The area is still called Stengodset 2 (which means 'Stoneware'). This name reminds people of the old factory. A small piece of the castle can still be seen next to the church.

Design and Style

Birger Jonsson designed the Filadelfia Church in a style called functionalist. This style focuses on how useful a building is. It was one of the first big buildings in Sweden to use this modern style. Jonsson was a very important architect for this type of design.

The church has a light grey brick outside. The bricks are whitewashed and slightly curved. It has a very strong-looking entrance area. This main room is also used for concerts.

Inside the Church

The main worship area is like a big auditorium. It has a wide stage and two levels of seats. The room is designed to sound very good for music and speaking. The ceiling is curved, and the seating area gets narrower towards the stage. This helps the sound travel well.

The outside of the church shows what the inside looks like. The main wall facing Rörstrandsgatan is curved, just like the seating area inside. The wide entrance has heavy granite columns. These columns show that it is a large meeting place.

History and Size

Pastor Lewi Pethrus started the idea to buy Rörstrand Castle. He also wanted to build the Filadelfia Church. He was the first leader of the church group. He was also a very important leader for the young Pentecostal movement in Sweden.

The Filadelfia Church is the second largest free church building in Europe. For many years, it was the biggest meeting place in Stockholm. When it was first built, it could hold 3,500 people. Today, it can seat 2,200 people. The largest free church building in Europe is the Livets Ord building in Uppsala. It can seat about 6,200 people.

Music and Events

For the church's opening, the music director, Karl-Erik Svedlund, wrote a special song. It was for an orchestra, choir, and singers. Einar Ekberg, a singer in the church, also wrote music for the 32nd Psalm. He sang it for the first time at the opening.

The church has also been used for many concerts. One time, the famous Nobel Prize ceremony was held in the church. This happened when the Stockholm Concert Hall was being fixed up.