Oscar's Church () is one of the major churches in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. The three-aisled

hall church A hall church is a Church (building), church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height. In England, Flanders and the Netherlands, it is covered by parallel roofs, typically, one for each vessel, whereas in Germany there is often one s ...

, which holds 1,200 people, has an tower in the south-western part of the building. Oscar's Church is located in the south-eastern part of

Östermalm Östermalm (; "Eastern city-borough") is a 2.56 km2 large district in central Stockholm, Sweden. With 71,802 inhabitants, it is one of Sweden's most populous and exclusive districts. It is an extremely expensive area, having the highest ho ...

, where Storgatan and Narvavägen meet, near the

Swedish History Museum The Swedish History Museum () is a museum located in Stockholm, Sweden, that covers Swedish archaeology and cultural history from the Mesolithic period to present day. Founded in 1866, it operates as a government agency and is tasked with preservi ...

. Narvavägen is together with the nearby

Strandvägen Strandvägen () is a street on Östermalm in central Stockholm, Sweden. Completed just in time for the Stockholm World's Fair 1897, it quickly became known as one of the most prestigious addresses in town. Stretching 1 km (3.500 ft) ...

—from which the church is also visible—one of the city's main

boulevard A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway or wide road in a commercial district. In Europe, boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former ...

s, lined with several residential palaces.

History

The church was inaugurated in September 1903 as the result of a design competition nine years earlier. The competition was won by Gustaf Hermansson, who also designed the

Sofia Church Sofia Church (), named after the Swedish queen Sophia of Nassau, is one of the major churches in Stockholm, Sweden. It was designed during an architectural contest in 1899 and was inaugurated in 1906. It is located in the eastern part of the isl ...

. It was

King Oscar II Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik; 21 January 1829 – 8 December 1907) was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death in 1907 and King of Norway from 1872 to 1905. Oscar was the son of King Oscar I and Queen Josephine. He inherited the Swedish and Norweg ...

himself, after whom the church is named, who laid the

foundation stone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

in 1897. Criticised from the start for its

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style, it was originally meant to be partly clad in brick; this changed to a uniformly white

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

, clad in limestone and marble. The construction work was delayed several times because of problems with the foundation, non-deliveries and labour strikes, which is why the church was not consecrated until 1903.

Interior

The church underwent several

renovation Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, o ...

s during the 1900s. In 1921–1923 major changes were made to the interior, including new

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows designed by

Emanuel Vigeland Emanuel Vigeland (2 December 1875 – 22 December 1948) was a multitalented Norway, Norwegian artist. He is known for a variety of decorations of Scandinavian churches and for ''Tomba Emmanuelle'', his mausoleum at Slemdal in Oslo. His elder ...

, all under the direction of architect Lars Israel Wahlman, previously known for having designed the

Engelbrekt Church Engelbrekt Church () is a protected church located in the Lärkstaden area of Stockholm, Sweden. Its located at Östermalm and belongs to the Church of Sweden and is parish church for Engelbrekt Parish in the Diocese of Stockholm. It was desig ...

. In 1954–1956 further alterations were made to the interior, leading to changes in the

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

and the removal of some ornamental ceiling decorations.

Organ

The main church

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

, considered to be one of the country's most notable, has received attention abroad. It was built in 1949 by the Danish firm

Marcussen & Søn Marcussen & Søn, also known as Marcussen and previously as Marcussen & Reuter, is a Denmark, Danish firm of pipe organ builders. They were one of the first firms to go back to classical organ-building techniques, and have been producing tracker ...

, to the wishes of

Alf Linder Alf Linder (28 July 1907 – 21 December 1983) was a Swedish organist, renowned for his frequent radio broadcasts and his teaching at the Stockholm Conservatory. Life Linder was born in Hammerö, near Karlstad on 28 July 1907. He studied organ wit ...

, who was the church organist from 1943 until his death in 1983. The organ has four manuals and a pedal, with a total of 78 voices and more than 5,200 pipes — making it one of the largest in Sweden.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 20th-century Church of Sweden church buildings Churches in Stockholm Churches in the Diocese of Stockholm (Church of Sweden) Churches completed in 1903 Gothic Revival church buildings in Sweden 1903 establishments in Sweden 1900s establishments in Stockholm

History

Interior

Organ

See also

References

External links