Storkyrkan

Storkyrkan is the oldest church in central Stockholm, begun in the thirteenth century and rebuilt repeatedly, so its Gothic brick interior sits behind a plain baroque exterior added to match the palace next door. The object people come for is Bernt Notke's Saint George and the Dragon of 1489, an oak group nearly life size with real elk antlers on the beast, commissioned by Sten Sture the Elder to mark the battle of Brunkeberg. The other notable thing on the walls is the Vadersolstavlan, a seventeenth-century copy of a lost 1535 painting of a halo display over the city - and the oldest picture of Stockholm that exists. Coronations and royal weddings happen here.

The main sights

• Notke's Saint George of 1489 - oak, with real antlers on the dragon.
• The Vadersolstavlan - the oldest known depiction of Stockholm.
• A Gothic brick interior - behind a baroque exterior.
• Royal ceremonial use - coronations and weddings.

When to go

Year round. An hour.

Good to know

It closes to visitors for services and concerts. The interior is dim and the Saint George is hard to photograph. It is small compared with continental cathedrals. Gamla Stan around it is crowded in season.

Nearby

The Royal Palace is next door; Stortorget is a minute away.