Katedralskolan, Lund

Last updated
Lund Cathedral School
Katedralskolan lund.JPG
Location
Katedralskolan, Lund

Sweden
Information
Type Public
Established1085 AD
School district Lund, Scania
Head of schoolIngalill Fritzon
Staff50
Faculty100
Grades10-12
Number of students1450
Website Link

Katedralskolan (Lund Cathedral School) is a school in Lund, Sweden. It was founded in 1085 by the Danish king Canute the Saint. It is the oldest school in Scandinavia and one of the oldest schools in Northern Europe. Despite being a public school, admittance to the Lund Cathedral School requires an application, and it is considered one of the toughest schools to get accepted to in Lund.

Contents

History

The Cathedral School in 1912. Katedralskolan i Ugglan.png
The Cathedral School in 1912.

The school was founded by a donation from the Danish king Canute the Saint. In the beginning, it was most likely a cathedral school, a seminary for the training of priests and other clergy within the church. Its clerical roots are also the origin of the school's name. During the Scanian Wars and the transition to Swedish rule, the school was for a while reduced to an insignificant elementary school with just two classes. For the first 750 years of its existence, the school was located directly adjacent to the Cathedral in Lund. However, in 1837, the school acquired Viffertska gården, which has been considered one of the most prestigious buildings in Lund since the 16th century. For two years at the beginning of the 18th century, the Swedish king Charles XII had his residence there.

Despite many wars and several transitions between Danish and Swedish rule, the school has maintained some form of teaching continuously since it was founded in 1085.

Today

Students in the school's inner court Katedralskolan students.JPG
Students in the school's inner court

Today, the Cathedral School is an Upper Secondary School, or gymnasium, with about 1400 students attending seven different programmes; the Science Programme (Naturvetenskapsprogrammet), the Social Science Programme (Samhällsvetenskapsprogrammet), the Lingua Programme (Linguaprogrammet), the History Programme (Historieprogrammet), the Humanist Programme (Humanistiska programmet), the Economy Programme (Ekonomiprogrammet) and the IB Diploma Programme.

The History Programme started in 2009 as a part of a government decision to instate special programmes in theoretical subjects in selected schools in the country. It is the only History programme in Sweden.

The Cathedral School currently resides in six buildings; The main building, The Charles XII house, The Brunius house, The Svanegatshouse, Cathedral School West and the Svane School. Several currently well-known people have attended it, among whom are actor Max von Sydow and several high-ranking politicians. Among the famous students are Swedish sport stars Max Salminen and Henrik Stenson.

Student Societies

There are a number of Student Societies in the school, the two most venerable ones being the theatre association Scenia (a word game alluding to 'wikt:scene' and the Latin name of the province of Lund, Scania) and the photographic society Asarna (a similar word game alluding to Norse mythology and to the ASA standard for analogue photography).

Scenia was started in 1945 by a group of students, including the later famous actor Max von Sydow. The drama group arranged and performed a variety of different Swedish plays and it became a tradition that passed on to younger students after graduation. Scenia was active throughout the 1950s but was then laid on ice until it was reborn as Katterevyn in the 1980s, that today is considered a Spex and is arranged every spring. About 150 students are involved in the process each year. In May 2008, "God Afton Vackra Mask" ("Good Evening, Beautiful Mask"), alluding to the murder of king Gustav III, was performed at AF-borgen in Lundagård.

In 2016, a team from the school became the first from Scandinavia to win a title (in the Varsity Bowl Division) in the International History Bee and Bowl European Championships, which were held in Berlin that year.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lund University</span> Swedish university

Lund University is a public research university in Sweden and one of Northern Europe's oldest universities. The university is located in the city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania. It traces its roots back to 1425, when a Franciscan studium generale was founded in Lund. After Sweden won Scania from Denmark in the 1658 Treaty of Roskilde, the university was officially founded in 1666 on the location of the old studium generale next to Lund Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1085</span> Calendar year

Year 1085 (MLXXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max von Sydow</span> Swedish-born French actor (1929–2020)

Max von Sydow was a Swedish-French actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television series in multiple languages. Capable in roles ranging from stolid, contemplative protagonists to sardonic artists and menacing, often gleeful villains, von Sydow received numerous accolades including honors from the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival. He was nominated for two Academy Awards: for Best Actor for Pelle the Conqueror (1987) and for Best Supporting Actor for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Canute's Cathedral</span> Church in Southern Denmark, Denmark

St. Canute's Cathedral, also known as Odense Cathedral, is named after the Danish king Canute the Saint, otherwise Canute IV. It is a fine example of Brick Gothic architecture. The church's most visited section is the crypt where the remains of Canute and his brother Benedict are on display.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canute IV of Denmark</span> 11th-century King of Denmark

Canute IV, later known as Canute the Holy or Saint Canute, was King of Denmark from 1080 until 1086. Canute was an ambitious king who sought to strengthen the Danish monarchy, devotedly supported the Roman Catholic Church, and had designs on the English throne. Slain by rebels in 1086, he was the first Danish king to be canonized. He was recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as patron saint of Denmark in 1101.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lund Cathedral</span> Church in Lund, Sweden

Lund Cathedral is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Sweden in Lund, Scania, Sweden. It is the seat of the Bishop of Lund and the main church of the Diocese of Lund. It was built as the Catholic cathedral of the archiepiscopal see of all the Nordic countries, dedicated to Saint Lawrence. It is one of the oldest stone buildings still in use in Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric II of Denmark</span> King of Denmark

Eric II the Memorable was king of Denmark between 1134 and 1137. Eric was an illegitimate son of Eric I of Denmark, who ruled Denmark from 1095 to 1103. Eric the Memorable rebelled against his uncle Niels of Denmark, and was declared king in 1134. He punished his adversaries severely, and rewarded his supporters handsomely. He was killed by a subject in 1137 and was promptly succeeded by his nephew Eric III of Denmark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric IX of Sweden</span> King of Sweden

Eric IX, also called Eric the Holy, Saint Eric, and Eric the Lawgiver, was a Swedish king in the 12th century, c. 1156–1160. The Roman Martyrology of the Catholic Church names him as a saint memorialized on 18 May. He was the founder of the House of Eric, which ruled Sweden with interruptions from c. 1156 to 1250.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lund</span> Place in Scania, Sweden

Lund is a city in the southern Swedish province of Scania, across the Öresund strait from Copenhagen, Denmark. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 as of 2018. It is the seat of Lund Municipality, Scania County. The Öresund Region, which includes Lund, is home to more than 4.1 million people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skara</span> Place in Västergötland, Sweden

Skara is a locality and the seat of Skara Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 18,580 inhabitants in 2013. Despite its small size, it is one of the oldest cities in Sweden, and has a long educational and ecclesiastical history. One of Sweden's oldest high schools, Katedralskolan, is situated in Skara. The former county of Skaraborg was named after a fortress near the town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalby, Lund Municipality</span> Place in Skåne, Sweden

Dalby is a locality and short-lived former Latin Catholic diocese situated in Lund Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 6732 inhabitants in 2019. It is located about 10 km East-southeast of Lund, and about 20 km East-northeast of Malmö.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katedralskolan, Linköping</span>

Katedralskolan, in Linköping, Sweden, is a secondary school, run by Linköping Municipality, which offers Swedish programmes in social sciences and natural sciences as well as the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. The school is located in the neighbourhood of Vasastaden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ingeborg of Norway</span> Duchess of Södermanland, Halland, and Estonia

Ingeborg of Norway, was a Norwegian princess and by marriage a Swedish royal duchess with a position in the regency governments in Norway (1319–27) and Sweden (1319–26) during the minority of her son, King Magnus of Norway and Sweden. In 1318–1319, she was Sweden's de facto ruler, and from 1319 until 1326, she was Sweden's first de jure female regent. Her role in northern European history is considered of major importance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianization of Scandinavia</span> Conversion to Christianity of the Scandinavian people

The Christianization of Scandinavia, as well as other Nordic countries and the Baltic countries, took place between the 8th and the 12th centuries. The realms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden established their own archdioceses, responsible directly to the pope, in 1104, 1154 and 1164, respectively. The conversion to Christianity of the Scandinavian people required more time, since it took additional efforts to establish a network of churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katedralskolan, Uppsala</span> Gymnasium in Sweden

Katedralskolan is a public gymnasium in Uppsala, Sweden. The school was, according to tradition, established in 1246. It is the oldest educational institution in Uppsala, and one of the oldest in Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalby Church</span> Church in Dalby, Lund Municipality, Scania

Dalby Church, sometimes also called the Church of the Holy Cross in Dalby is a church in Dalby, Lund Municipality in the Swedish province of Scania. It is one of the oldest churches in Sweden. When it was built Dalby was part of Denmark, and the church was commissioned by King Sweyn II of Denmark. It was constructed during the second half of the 11th century. For six years, it served as the seat of a bishop, before the diocese was merged with the Diocese of Lund nearby. The church was built with inspiration from Hildesheim Cathedral, and masons from Hildesheim appear to have worked on its construction site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skjalm Hvide</span> Earl of Zealand in Denmark in the end of the Viking Age

Skjalm Hvide, was the Earl of Zealand in Denmark in the end of the Viking Age (793–1066) and up to his death. Skjalm's father was Toke Trylle, whose father was Slag, based on Absalon, a medieval account scanned, translated and published by Google.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Wilhelm von Sydow</span> Swedish ethnologist

Carl Wilhelm von Sydow was a Swedish folklore scholar. A professor at Lund University, he was a pioneer of folklore studies in Sweden and contributed to establishing systematic methods in the field.

The following is a timeline of the History of Uppsala.

<i>Necrologium Lundense</i>

Necrologium Lundense is a 12th-century illuminated manuscript probably made in Lund to serve as a book of rules for the canons of Lund Cathedral, with texts used by them in their daily life. Its oldest parts date from around 1123, and it is considered the oldest still intact manuscript written in Scandinavia. It is preserved in a late medieval binding and the text is partially adorned with decorated initials, including one which displays influences from Viking art. The book is today kept in the University Library of Lund University.

References