Riddarholm Church

Riddarholm Church stands on Riddarholmen island in Stockholm, close to the Royal Palace. It began as a greyfriars monastery in the late 13th century before becoming a Lutheran church after the Reformation. The building mixes Gothic and Baroque styles, with parts dating from the monastery’s first years. A tall spire designed by Willem Boy was added in the 16th century but replaced after lightning struck in 1835. Today it serves only for burials and memorials, no longer as an active parish church. Swedish monarchs from Gustavus Adolphus to Gustaf V lie here, except Queen Christina who rests in Rome. Earlier kings Magnus Ladulås and Charles VIII are also buried inside. The church keeps tradition alive by hanging new knights’ armorial plates on the walls after each funeral. At noon on the day of a royal burial the bells ring without pause for an hour. It is now managed by government departments rather than the royal household. Visitors enter a quiet space filled with royal tombs and memorial tablets. The walls display the painted coats of arms of knights of the Royal Order of the Seraphim. The cast-iron spire rises above the red-brick walls and slate roofs. Outside, the island’s calm streets overlook the water towards the palace. The church’s mix of old stone and ironwork shows centuries of change in one place.