Riddarholmen Church

Riddarholmen was a Franciscan church begun in the late thirteenth century, and after the reformation it became the place where Swedish monarchs were buried - from Gustav II Adolf and Karl XII through to Gustaf V in 1950, when the practice stopped. The result is a brick nave lined with burial chapels, each added by a dynasty in its own century and style, and a floor and walls hung with the coats of arms of the Seraphim knights, whose escutcheons go up when they die. The openwork cast-iron spire replaced one lost to lightning in 1835. The only monarch of that period buried elsewhere is Queen Christina, who lies in St Peter's in Rome. The parish was dissolved in 1807, and the church is not used for services and is open as a monument in the warm months only.

Highlights

• Royal burial chapels - one per dynasty, each in its own century's style.
• Seraphim coats of arms - hung on the walls as knights die.
• A cast-iron openwork spire - after the 1835 lightning strike.
• A bare Franciscan nave - no services, no furnishing.

When to go

May to September, when it is open. An hour.

Practical notes

It is closed for much of the winter. The interior is cold and unheated. Labelling is limited without the audio guide. The islet itself is quiet and there is little else on it.

Nearby

Gamla Stan is across the bridge; the Royal Palace is a short walk.

Key facts