Riddarholm Church (Swedish: Riddarholmskyrkan) is the church of a former medieval abbey in Stockholm, Sweden. The church serves as the final resting place of most Swedish monarchs. [1]

Riddarholmen Church

Riddarholmskyrkan

The Riddarholm Church is one of the oldest buildings in Stockholm

Location
Riddarholmen, Stockholm

Country
Sweden

Administration

Parish
Riddarholmen (up to 1807)

Riddarholmskyrkan, early 20th century.

The interior of the Riddarholmen Church, from the choir loft

Riddarholm Church is located on the island of Riddarholmen, close to the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden. The congregation was dissolved in 1807 and today the church is used only for burial and commemorative purposes. Swedish monarchs from Gustavus Adolphus (d. 1632 AD) to Gustaf V (d. 1950) are entombed here (with only one exception: Queen Christina who is buried within St. Peter's Basilica in Rome), as well as the earlier monarchs Magnus III (d. 1290) and Charles VIII (d. 1470). It has been discontinued as a royal burial site in favor of the Royal Cemeteryand today is run by departments of the Swedish Government and Royal Court.[2][3]

It is one of the oldest buildings in Stockholm, parts of it dating to the late-13th century, when it was built as a greyfriars monastery. After the Protestant Reformation, the monastery was closed and the building transformed into a Protestant church. A spire designed by Flemish architect Willem Boy(1520–1592) was added during the reign of John III, but it was destroyed by a lightningstrike on July 28, 1835 after which it was replaced with the present cast iron spire. [4]

Coats of arms of knights of the Royal Order of the Seraphim are on the walls of the church. When a knight of the Order dies, his coat of arms is hung in the church and when the funeral takes place the church's bells are rung without pause from 12:00 to 13:00. [5]