Lund Cathedral

Lund was the archbishopric for the whole Nordic region when this was built, and the cathedral consecrated in 1145 is the most substantial Romanesque building in Sweden - two square west towers, an apsed east end, and a crypt of heavy columns underneath, one of which carries the carved figure people call Finn the Giant, with a folk story attached about the man who built the church. The astronomical clock in the north aisle dates from about 1425, was dismantled in the nineteenth century and reassembled in 1923; it runs a procession of figures and plays at midday and three in the afternoon on weekdays. Zettervall restored the exterior heavily in the 1860s and 70s.

Background

Lund Cathedral is now the seat of the Bishop of Lund in the Church of Sweden, but it was built as the Catholic cathedral of the archbishopric for all the Nordic countries and dedicated to Saint Lawrence. The crypt was consecrated on 30 June 1123 and the main altar on 1 September 1145, and its style shows the influence of north Italian building carried via the Rhine valley. A fire badly damaged it in 1234, Adam van Düren restored it in the early 16th century, and in the 19th century Helgo Zettervall rebuilt the whole western part with its towers, a work only finished in 1893. The church is 85 metres long, and its main altarpiece was given in 1398.

Source: Wikipedia, "Lund Cathedral"

What to look for

• A Romanesque cathedral of 1145 - the most substantial in Sweden.
• The crypt - heavy columns, and the carving called Finn the Giant.
• An astronomical clock of about 1425 - with figures, twice daily.
• Zettervall's exterior restoration - much of what you see outside.

When to go

Year round; time a visit for the clock. An hour.

Good to know

The clock performance is brief and draws a crowd. Services close the building. Much of the exterior is nineteenth-century recutting. The interior is austere.

Nearby

Kulturen open-air museum is a short walk; Malmo is south.

Key facts