Great Church

Storkyrkan, officially Sankt Nikolai kyrka and known in English as the Great Church, is Stockholm’s cathedral and an active Lutheran church at Trångsund 1, 111 29 Stockholm, in Gamla Stan beside the Royal Palace and near Stortorget. The church was first recorded in 1279 and reached its present five-aisled hall-church form around 1480; its exterior was given a Baroque redesign in the seventeenth century to harmonize with the palace. Traditionally associated with Birger Jarl, Stockholm’s founder, it became Protestant in 1527 and was designated Stockholm Cathedral in 1942. Inside, the main treasures include Bernt Notke’s late-fifteenth-century wooden sculpture Saint George and the Dragon and the Vädersolstavlan, a 1535 painting documenting a halo display over Stockholm. It is generally open daily from 9:30 to 17:00, with extended hours from 9:00 to 18:00 between June 1 and September 13; check the church’s schedule before visiting because services, concerts, and royal events can restrict access.