Saint Nicholas

The first church on the spot was erected by Birger Jarl in 1279. Until the 1700S', it was the only church in the Stockholm parish. It became a Lutheran Protestan church in 1527. King coronations, weddings and funerals often took place there because of its proximity with the royal palace.

The two most famous pieces in the cathedral are the Vädersolstavlan painting and the Saint Georges killing the dragon sculpture.

The sun painting by Jacob Elbfas (on the left) depicts a halo display observed over Stockholm on 20 April 1535. The painting in the cathedral is a copy from 1636 of an earlier version by Urban the painter. The halo phenomenon occurred at a time of transition for Sweden, moving away from the Kalmar Union and having adopted the reformation. It was interpreted as a sign.

The Saint George and the Dragon is attributed to Bernt Notke (1489). The statue was commissioned with a political perspective, Saint Goerges representing Sten Sture the elder, the regent of Sweden, the dragon representing the Danish King Christian I, and the princess representing Sweden.

The silver altar is a wooden triptych in ebony and silver

On the north wall of the ambulatory is a huge painting of the last judgement by Klöcker von Ehrenstrahl in 1696.

Above the entrance of the curch is a choir covered with paintings by Albertus Pictor. Ask at the entrance to see the room as ikt is not open to public but it may be opened for you is the cathedral is not too crowded. The paintings have not been very well preserved as they were probably painted over at the time of reformation. Yet, it shows characteristic paintings by Albertus Pictor.