Maria Magdalena Church

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Maria Magdalena Church is located on one of the Stockholm islands, Södermalm, which is a point of multiple cultural and natural places of interest. Being connected to the mainland by numerous bridges, the availability of this historic attraction is facilitated a lot.

The significance of Maria Magdalena Church in Stockholm is justified by being the oldest church in the area. In particular, it was built in 1350s under the rule of the King Magnus Eriksson, who asked the current pope Clement VI for permission to build a funeral chapel to honor Maria Magdalena. That is how this church emerged. However, notwithstanding its long history the only thing that confirms its origin is the engraving board, which carries the image of the church at the time. It emphasizes the architect poverty of the construction, which is contributed by the single nave and the large tower with a raised spire. There are no documentary references to Maria Magdalena Church until the 16th century, proving it carries one of the ancient belfries dated back to 1430.

It is known that this monastery was destroyed in 1527 by King Gustav Vasa; it was the period of Reformation, when Catholicism was transformed and lots of churches and monasteries were destroyed. Maria Magdalena chapel has faced the same fate. There are also other versions of possible reasons why all the churches in the city were disrupted. One of the facts is that, in 1520s, Swedish troops struggled with the troops of Christian II of Denmark, the King of Denmark and Norway at the time. Swedish warriors established camps within the walls of the chapels, but they did not obstruct the invasion of foreigners from the city as well as severe losses.

However, it was not long until the church was reconstructed. The son of Gustav Vasa, King John III initiated the construction of a new church on the site in 1588, but could not finish it due to the death four years later. The building remained in ruins up to 1634.

In the 17th century Maria Magdalena Church experienced huge transformation in architecture, when famous architects of Nicodemus Tessin family performed it in the Baroque style. Though, it also carried some losses. In 1676 Nicodemus Tessin the Younger has constructed one of the most beautiful spires in Stockholm precisely in Maria Magdalena Church that was destroyed by the fire in 1759, as well as the whole neighborhood. By 1763 Maria Magdalena Church was finally renewed. Since that time the visual appearance of the church has not changed and it remains as one of the oldest cultural monuments of Södermalm Island.

Besides the ancient belfry, there are also other must-see things in the site, such as the canvas “Adoration of the shepherds” (1800s) decorating the altar and marvelous pulpit in Rococo style. Nowadays Maria Magdalena Church has also become a place of cultural performances due to every week concerts of the organ music.

By the way, Maria Magdalena Church is also a pilgrimage destination for foreigners, as far as it functions as the part of Russian Orthodox and Estonian-Finnish Orthodox parishes.