St Peter And St Sigfrid's Church
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St Peter and St Sigfrid's Church, often referred to locally as the English Church (), is an
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
church 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 ...
. It was built in the 1860s for the British congregation in the city and was originally located on Rörstrandsgatan (later renamed Wallingatan) in the
Norrmalm Norrmalm is a city district in Stockholm, Sweden. History Norrmalm is a part of the larger borough of Norrmalm (''Norrmalms stadsdelsområde''). The southern part of the district, Lower Norrmalm (''Nedre Norrmalm''), also known as the City, ...
district before being moved, stone by stone, to the
Diplomatstaden Diplomatstaden (Swedish language, Swedish for "Diplomat City") is a neighbourhood in the Östermalm district in central Stockholm, Sweden. As the name suggests, the neighbourhood is the home of many embassies and ambassadorial residencies. Diplo ...
area 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 ...
in 1913.J. H. Swinstead, ''The English Church in Stockholm'' (1913). The church is part of
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
's
Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe The Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe, known simply as the Diocese in Europe (DiE), is a diocese of the Church of England. It was originally formed in 1842 as the Diocese of Gibraltar. It is geographically the largest diocese of the Church of Englan ...
and is dedicated to
Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...
and Saint Sigfrid.


History

Anglican worship in Sweden dates back to 1653, when the first English diplomats were sent by
Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
. They brought with them two chaplains, who conducted services at the residence of the
ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...
,
Bulstrode Whitelocke Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke (6 August 1605 – 28 July 1675) was an English lawyer, writer, parliamentarian, and one of the commissioners of the Great Seal during the Interregnum. Early life He was the eldest son of Sir James Whitelocke and ...
. An Anglo-French
Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...
congregation was later formed with a French pastor, who held services in both French and English. In 1741 King Frederick I accepted their petition for the right to worship publicly, since a Swedish church had already been established in
Wapping Wapping () is an area in the borough of Tower Hamlets in London, England. It is in East London and part of the East End. Wapping is on the north bank of the River Thames between Tower Bridge to the west, and Shadwell to the east. This posit ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The church was supported by a poor box into which, until 1871, every English ship captain calling at Stockholm contributed 24
Swedish riksdaler The Svenska riksdaler () was the name of a Swedish coin first minted in 1604. Between 1777 and 1873, it was the currency of Sweden. The daler, like the dollar,''National Geographic''. June 2002. p. 1. ''Ask Us''. was named after the German Thal ...
. In 1842 the
Bishop of London The bishop of London is the Ordinary (church officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. By custom the Bishop is also Dean of the Chapel Royal since 1723. The diocese covers of 17 boroughs o ...
,
Charles James Blomfield Charles James Blomfield (29 May 1786 – 5 August 1857) was a British divine and classicist, and a Church of England bishop for 32 years. Early life and education Charles James Blomfield was born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, the eldest son (an ...
, whose duties included supervising the provision of Anglican services abroad, wrote to the British ambassador in Stockholm, Sir Thomas Cartwright, regretting the lack of Anglican worship available to British residents and visitors in the city and suggesting the appointment of a “regularly ordained clergyman” as chaplain. With the consul, G. J. R. Gordon, and others, Cartwright begin to make the necessary arrangements. A suitable location for services was found on the upper floor of a Moravian chapel at 12 Lilla Trädgårdsgatan. As the intended appointee, the Rev. George Williams, could not be released from his duties at
King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...
, the Rev.
Frederick Spurrell Frederick Spurrell (2 August 1824 – 23 February 1902) was an Anglican priest and archaeologist. Early life and education Frederick Spurrell was born at 23, Park Street in Southwark at a time when his father, Charles Spurrell (1783–1866), was ...
was sent instead, arriving in Stockholm as the first regularly appointed chaplain in April 1849. A decade later, the congregation began to collect funds for the construction of a church building of its own. A site was purchased on Rörstrandsgatan (later renamed Wallingatan) in the
Norrmalm Norrmalm is a city district in Stockholm, Sweden. History Norrmalm is a part of the larger borough of Norrmalm (''Norrmalms stadsdelsområde''). The southern part of the district, Lower Norrmalm (''Nedre Norrmalm''), also known as the City, ...
district of Stockholm, and the foundation stone of St Peter and St Sigfrid's Church was laid and dedicated on 7 April 1863. In 1866 the completed church was consecrated by the American Episcopal
Bishop of Illinois The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago is the official organization of the Episcopal Church in Chicago and Northern Illinois, USA. The diocese is served by The Right Reverend Paula Clark, who serves as Bishop of the diocese. The cathedral of the dioce ...
, the Rt. Rev.
Henry John Whitehouse Henry John Whitehouse (August 19, 1803 – August 10, 1874) was the second Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Episcopal Diocese of Illinois, bishop of Illinois. Early life Whitehouse was born in New York City, the son of James Whitehous ...
. A number of senior clergymen of the
Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden () is an Evangelical Lutheran national church in Sweden. A former state church, headquartered in Uppsala, with around 5.5 million members at year end 2023, it is the largest Christian denomination in Sweden, the largest List ...
, including the
Archbishop of Uppsala The Archbishop of Uppsala (spelled Upsala until the early 20th century) has been the primate of Sweden in an unbroken succession since 1164, first during the Catholic era, and from the 1530s and onward under the Lutheran church. Historical ove ...
, Henrik Reuterdahl, were present. The original location being considered unsuitable, the church was moved, stone by stone, to the
Diplomatstaden Diplomatstaden (Swedish language, Swedish for "Diplomat City") is a neighbourhood in the Östermalm district in central Stockholm, Sweden. As the name suggests, the neighbourhood is the home of many embassies and ambassadorial residencies. Diplo ...
area 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 ...
, close to the
British embassy This is a list of diplomatic missions of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, excluding honorary consulates. The UK has one of the largest global networks of diplomatic missions. UK diplomatic missions to capitals of other Co ...
, in 1913 thanks to the efforts of Crown Princess Margaret, a granddaughter of
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
. The reconstruction, including the addition of a vestry and the extension of the nave, was supervised by the Swedish architect A. E. Melander and took a total of nine months. The site had previously been a garrison cemetery, and a number of old gravestones can still be seen.


Architecture and furnishings

St Peter and St Sigfrid's Church was designed by James Souttar and built by Albert Svennson, based on earlier plans drawn up by Gustavus Hamilton. It resembles an English parish church in the
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 and is made of sandstone from
Södertälje Södertälje ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. It is also a part of Stockholm urban area, Greater Stockholm Metropolitan Area. As of 2020, it has 73,872 inhabitants. Södert ...
and
Motala Motala () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Motala Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with a municipal population of 43,717 inhabitants in 2024. It is the third largest city of Östergötland, following Linköping and N ...
. The vaults of the tower are built of stone, while the rest of the church is vaulted in wood. The flying angel weather vane stood on the original church and was recently restored after being damaged in a storm. The organ was built in 1994 at Ålems Orgelverkstad in
Småland Småland () is a historical Provinces of Sweden, province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name ''Småland'' literally means "small la ...
and has one manual and ten and a half stops, with 650 pipes. The church also contains a
triptych A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...
from
Oberammergau Oberammergau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. The small town on the Ammer River is known for its woodcarvers and woodcarvings, for its NATO School, and around the world for its 380-year tradition of ...
, a hanging crucifix dedicated in 1970 and a number of stained glass windows, including the large west window, which is dedicated to Crown Princess Margaret and depicts the life and faith of
Saint Margaret of Scotland Saint Margaret of Scotland (; , ), also known as Margaret of Wessex, was Queen of Alba from 1070 to 1093 as the wife of King Malcolm III. Margaret was sometimes called "The Pearl of Scotland". She was a member of the House of Wessex and was b ...
. Other windows were designed by Morris & Co. and by the Swedish artist
Einar Forseth Carl Einar Andreas Forseth (1892–1988) was a Swedish artist, remembered above all for his mosaics in the Golden Hall (Stockholm City Hall), Golden Hall in Stockholm City Hall completed in 1923. Early life Born in Linköping, Forseth was the son ...
. The ends of the pews have carved letters spelling out “Adeste fideles, adoremus dominum”, the first and last words in
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
of the hymn ''
O Come, All Ye Faithful "O Come, All Ye Faithful", also known as "", is a Christmas carol that has been attributed to various authors, including John Francis Wade (1711–1786), John Reading (1645–1692), King John IV of Portugal (1604–1656), and anonymous Ciste ...
''.


Chaplains

The following have served as Anglican chaplains in Stockholm since 1849:The names of the chaplains are carved on a plaque at the entrance to the church.


References

{{reflist Churches in Stockholm Gothic Revival church buildings in Sweden Churches completed in 1866 Anglican church buildings in Sweden Diocese in Europe 19th-century churches in Sweden 19th-century Anglican church buildings 1866 establishments in Sweden 19th-century establishments in Stockholm