You begin on the smallest island of the historic centre, Riddarholmen, the 'Knights' Islet'. In front of you is one of the oldest buildings in Stockholm: the church of a Franciscan friary founded around 1270, when the town was only a few decades old.
1A king buried in the choir
After his death in 1290, King Magnus Ladulås was buried here. Tradition says he earned his nickname, 'barn lock', by protecting peasants from the abuses of the nobility. From then on the church was tied to the Crown. The friary vanished with the Reformation, but the church survived, and from the burial of Gustav II Adolf in 1634 it became Sweden's royal burial church. He had fallen at the Battle of Lützen in 1632.
2A chapel for every dynasty
Each ruling house added its own burial chapel around the nave. Charles XII, the warrior king killed in Norway in 1718, lies in one of them. The last monarch buried here was Gustaf V, who died in 1950. Inside hang hundreds of coats of arms of the knights of the Order of the Seraphim; when one of them dies, his shield is moved beside the bells, which toll for him on the day of the funeral.
3The iron spire
On 28 July 1835 lightning set the tower on fire and the old spire collapsed. It was replaced by a 42-metre spire of openwork cast iron that became one of the city's most recognisable silhouettes. Since 2026 it has been dismantled piece by piece to be restored and cleaned of toxic paint, and it is due back around 2028.
4What to look for
- The domed chapels attached to the brick walls: each belongs to a dynasty.
- The statue of Birger Jarl, whom tradition credits with founding Stockholm.
- The tower, now without its famous spire.
Documented
The church belonged to the Franciscan friary founded around 1270; Magnus Ladulås, who died in 1290, was buried in its choir, and since the burial of Gustav II Adolf in 1634 it has been the burial church of Sweden's kings.
Oral tradition
The explanation that Magnus Ladulås got his nickname by protecting peasants' barns is traditional, and Birger Jarl's founding of the city is also a tradition, although he is the first to mention Stockholm in a document.
Sources and credits
Kungliga slotten (official website of the Royal Palaces, Riddarholmen Church); Statens fastighetsverk (spire restoration project, 2025-2028); Swedish Wikipedia, «Riddarholmskyrkan».
Photos:
- Red-brick Riddarholmen Church with its openwork iron spire and domed chapels: Alexandru Baboş Albabos, CC BY 3.0.
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