Saint James's Church, Stockholm

Last updated
Saint James's Church
Sankt Jacobs kyrka
Sankt Jacobskyrkan.jpg
Saint James's Church, southern façade.
Saint James's Church, Stockholm
Location Stockholm
Country Sweden
Denomination Church of Sweden
History
Dedication Saint James the Great
Administration
Diocese Stockholm
Parish Stockholm

Saint James's Church (Swedish : Sankt Jacobs kyrka) is a church in central Stockholm, Sweden, dedicated to apostle Saint James the Greater, patron saint of travellers. It is often mistakenly called St Jacob's. The confusion arises because Swedish, like many other languages, uses the same name for both James and Jacob.

Contents

Arguably the most central church in the Swedish capital, surrounded by the popular park Kungsträdgården, the Royal Opera, the square Gustav Adolfs torg; and near Sergels torg, the Royal Palace, and governmental office Rosenbad, the parish of the church was limited to 150 souls in the late 1980s, and was thus merged into the parish of the Stockholm Cathedral in 1989. [1] A bust of Swedish tenor Jussi Björling (1911-1960) stands outside.

The church took a long time to complete. As a consequence it includes a wide range of architectural styles, such as Late Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. [1] The building is based on the design of multiple architects over the centuries: Willem Boy (1580–93), Hans Ferster (1635–43), Göran Joshuae Adelcrantz and Carl Hårleman (1723–35), Carl Möller and Agi Lindegren (1893–94). [2]

History

The western gable of the medieval church is still present on the extreme left of this view of Stockholm from around 1580.
Copperplate by Frantz Hogenberg. Stockholm-from-north-1570-braun-hogenberg-civitates-orbis-terrarum.jpg
The western gable of the medieval church is still present on the extreme left of this view of Stockholm from around 1580.
Copperplate by Frantz Hogenberg.

The origin of the church dates back to a chapel belonging to the Solna parish (Solna Municipality now being one of the suburbs of Stockholm) and at the time built on the outskirts of the parish. It is first mentioned in 1311, and archaeological excavations in 1948 and one more recently documented its location just south of the present church and reconstructions showed its extent was limited to 8×13 meters. [3] The parish itself is believed to be a century or so younger than the chapel as the church is first mentioned as ecclesia parrochialis in the 1430s. For defensive purposes the demolition of the church, together with other churches on the ridges surrounding the medieval city, was ordered by King Gustav Vasa following the Reduction in 1527. It is therefore believed the church was built in brick rather than wood, since the king needed bricks for his defensive structures. [1]

Present varied vaults Jakobs kyrka vault1.jpg
Present varied vaults

However, in 1580 King John III ordered a church to be rebuilt on the same location, as part of his attempt to incorporate the urban conglomeration on the northern ridges into the city. Construction on the present church was led by master-builder Heinrich van Huwen and started in 1588. As completed by the time for the death of John III, the design of Willem Boy (c. 1520–1592) included a central nave flanked by two tall aisles resting on sandstone columns. [1]

Charles IX's intentions to make the northern suburbs (today's Norrmalm) an independent city motivated him to order the church to be lengthened by two bays in 1630. The first Governor of Stockholm Klas Flemming employed master mason Hans Ferster and stone-cutter Heinrich Blume in 1633, which resulted in the star-ribbed vaults completed in 1642. The following year the southern portico was begun by Blume together with the Renaissance gables of the transepts later destroyed in the fire of 1723. The church could finally be inaugurated November 26, 1643, in the presence of Queen Christina. At that time, the northern ridges had been divided into two parishes (the other being that of Klara Church) separated by the northbound esker Brunkebergsåsen. However, the church interior was only partly completed and a sacristy was added in 1698. [1]

The nave Jakobs kyrka interior.jpg
The nave

A fire destroyed the roof in 1723. A new central tower designed by Göran Joshuae Adelcrantz was inaugurated in 1739 The many steeples of the church was designed by Carl Hårleman. The exterior was repainted in a grey-white colour in the 1770s. [1]

During the 19th century, most of the 17th-century interior was hastily replaced, including both the southern and northern galleries, the retable, and the organ gallery. Complaints from the parish regarding the now dark church, caused the galleries to be rebuilt again in 1825. The church started using central heating in 1850 and gas lighting in 1862 – the 1.450 flames exceeding any other church in Stockholm. All these modifications were, however, restored by the work of Carl Möller who favoured a Romantic Nationalistic Neo-Renaissance style in Sweden called Vasa-renässans and Agi Lindegren who worked in a multitude of styles adopted to various contexts. The galleries were thus reshaped into Neo-Baroque and the church furnished with electric light. [1]

An exterior restoration in 1910 gave the church a new copper roof and a sandstone socle. A new restoration in 1932–37 resulted in the present rather bare interior, with no changes since except a minor restoration in 1969. [1]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 S:t Jacobs kyrkas historia
  2. Guide till Stockholms arkitektur, p 11.
  3. Stockholm City Museum

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Storkyrkan</span> Swedish cathedral

Storkyrkan, also called Stockholms domkyrka and Sankt Nikolai kyrka, is the oldest church in Stockholm. Storkyrkan lies in the centre of Stockholm in Gamla stan, between Stockholm Palace and Stortorget, the old main square of Stockholm. It was consecrated to Saint Nicholas in 1306 but construction of the church probably started in the 13th century. Inside, Storkyrkan still maintains much of its late medieval appearance in the form of a hall church with a vaulted ceiling supported by brick pillars. The exterior of the church is however uniformly Baroque in appearance, the result of extensive changes made in the 18th century. The church played an important role during the Reformation in Sweden as the place where Mass was celebrated in Swedish for the first time. It currently serves as the seat of the Bishop of Stockholm within the Church of Sweden since the creation of the Diocese of Stockholm in 1942.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katarina Church</span>

Katarina kyrka is one of the major churches in central Stockholm, Sweden. The original building was constructed 1656–1695. It has been rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fires, the second time during the 1990s. The Katarina-Sofia borough is named after Katarina Parish and the neighbouring parish of Sofia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kungsträdgården</span>

Kungsträdgården is a park in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is colloquially known as Kungsan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulriksdal Palace</span> Building in Solna, Sweden

Ulriksdal Palace is a royal palace situated on the banks of the Edsviken in the Royal National City Park in Solna Municipality, 6 km north of Stockholm. It was originally called Jakobsdal for its owner Jacob De la Gardie, who had it built by architect Hans Jacob Kristler in 1638–1645 as a country retreat. He later passed on to his son, Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie, from whom it was purchased in 1669 by Queen Hedvig Eleonora of Sweden. The present design is mainly the work of architect Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and dates from the late 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confidencen</span> Theatre in Solna, Sweden

Confidencen, or Ulriksdal Palace Theatre, is a theatre in the park of Ulriksdal Palace in Solna, in the Swedish capital Stockholm. Built in the 1750s and restored from the late 20th century, it is the oldest Rococo theatre in Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maltesholm Castle</span>

Maltesholm Castle is a large manor house located at Sönnarslöv in Kristianstad Municipality in Scania, Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Södra Bankohuset</span>

Södra Bankohuset or Gamla Riksbanken is a building in Gamla stan, the old town of Stockholm, Sweden, together with Norra Bankohuset the location of the Bank of Sweden until 1906. Since December 2018, the building is housing Embark Studios, a Stockholm-based games studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slottsbacken</span> Street in Stockholm, Sweden

Slottsbacken is a street in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden.

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

The German Church, sometimes called St. Gertrude's Church, is a church in Gamla stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden, belonging to the German Saint Gertrude Parish of the Church of Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karlberg Palace</span> Building in Solna, Sweden

Karlberg Palace is a palace by the Karlberg Canal in Solna Municipality in Sweden, adjacent to Stockholm's Vasastaden district. The palace, built in 1630, today houses the Military Academy Karlberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Svartsjö Palace</span> Rococo palace situated in Svartsjö

Svartsjö Palace is a Rococo palace situated in Svartsjö on the island of Färingsö in lake Mälaren. It lies just outside of Stockholm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willem Boy</span>

Willem Boy was a Flemish painter, sculptor, and architect active in Sweden from around 1558 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Magdalena Church</span> Church in Stockholm County, Sweden

The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene is a church on Södermalm in central Stockholm, Sweden, dedicated to and named for Jesus' companion Mary Magdalene.

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

Solna Church is a so-called round church in Solna Municipality near Stockholm, Sweden. It is part of Solna Parish in the Diocese of Stockholm. The church is located on the headland between Brunnsviken and Ulvsundasjön, at the southern end of the cemetery Norra begravningsplatsen. The oldest parts of the church are from the later 12th century, a Romanesque fortress church built in stone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agi Lindegren</span> Swedish architect and illustrator

August "Agi" Lindegren was a Swedish architect and illustrator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Eugenia's Church (Stockholm)</span>

Saint Eugenia's Church is a Roman Catholic church in the center of Stockholm (Sweden). It was built in 1982 on plans of the Danish architect Jørgen Kjaergaard and is situated next to the former Royal Gardens, Kungsträdgården in Norrmalm. The Church is consecrated to Saint Eugenia, an abbess (700-735) of the monastery Mont Sainte-Odile in Alsace (France).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz</span> Swedish architect and civil servant (1716–1796)

Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz was a Swedish architect and civil servant. Adelcrantz's style developed from a rococo influenced by Carl Hårleman, the leading architect in Sweden in the early years of his career, to a classical idiom influenced by the stylistic developments in France in the mid-to-late 18th century. As överintendent, he headed the royal and public building works from 1767 until his retirement in 1795.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustaf Vasa Church</span> Church in Stockholm, Sweden

Gustaf Vasa Church is a church located in the Vasastaden district of Stockholm, Sweden. Inaugurated in 1906 and named after 16th century King Gustav Vasa, it was designed by architect Agi Lindegren in the Baroque Revival style. Situated between two busy avenues partially lined with trees, its dome rises 60 metres (200 ft) above the nearby Odenplan plaza. The floor plan is in the shape of a Greek cross and seats 1,200 people, making it one of the largest churches in Stockholm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Stockholm</span> Overview of and topical guide to Stockholm

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Stockholm:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katarina Parish</span> Parish in Stockholm Municipality, Sweden

Katarina Parish is a parish in Södermalm's church district (kontrakt) in the Diocese of Stockholm, Sweden. The parish is located in Stockholm Municipality in Stockholm County. The parish forms its own pastorship.

References

59°19′48″N18°04′12″E / 59.330°N 18.070°E / 59.330; 18.070