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UPPSALA CATHEDRAL (SWEDEN)

Uppsala Cathedral

Visiting the main and highest Christian church of Sweden –– Uppsala Cathedral –– was an important event in my journey throughout Sweden. The Uppsala Cathedral (Swedish Uppsala domkyrka) is the main cathedral of the Church of Sweden and archdiocese of Uppsala, a national sanctuary in mixed Gothic style. It is located in the center of the city of Uppsala and is the highest cathedral in Northern Europe after Nidaros Cathedral and the St. Mary’s Church in Gdańsk; it is also the biggest cathedral in Scandinavia, its height being 118.7 meters.

Every year more than a half million people visit the Uppsala Cathedral in search of silence or to attend a God-worship service, listen to a concert or just enjoy the beauty of the historic monument of architecture. Among the church values of the sanctuary there is a gilded shrine with the remains of St. Eric. In the Uppsala Cathedral Gustav I Vasa and Carolus Linnaeus are buried. The Northern Tower today is Museum of Church Textile. In the southern portal stone figures of XIV century and of earlier times are at display.

Construction of the cathedral began in 1287 and lasted around 150 years. Only in 1435 the grand opening of the temple took place. The cathedral is dedicated to several saints: Saint Lawrence, the most honourable saint in medieval Sweden, Saint Eric, patron of Stockholm, and Saint Olaf, patron of Norway.

His Holiness Pope John Paul II. Autograph on the official photo

In 1702, the cathedral seriously suffered from a fire. After reconstruction the high towers were replaced by small ones, and the domes were rebuilt in Baroque style. In 1885-1893, a second restoration occurred, which resulted in a Gothic appearance of the building. The original medieval style of the cathedral is preserved only in form of the brick walls. The interior is also rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style.

In June of 1989, Roman Pope John Paul II visited the Uppsala Cathedral.

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