Fodor's Expert Review Storkyrkan

Dedicated to St. Nicholas, Storkyrkan (literally, the Great Church) has been at the heart of Stockholm since the 13th century. It has been modified over the years and now displays elements of a variety of architectural styles, including Gothic and baroque. Its treasures include a splendid gilded wooden sculpture of St. George and the dragon from 1489, commissioned to mark the Swedish victory over Danish forces at the Battle of Brunkeberg 18 years earlier. (A 20th-century bronze replica now stands at Köpmantorget, near Österlånggatan.) Keep an eye out for the oil painting Vädersolstavlan, which hangs inconspicuously near the south door. A 1636 copy of a lost original from a century earlier, it depicts an unusual atmospheric phenomenon known as a parhelion, or sun dog, and is the oldest known image of Stockholm. The Stockholm Cathedral has been the setting for many significant events such as coronations, royal weddings, and royal funerals: King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia said their vows here in 1976, as did their eldest child, Crown Princess Victoria, and her husband Daniel Westling in 2010. READ LESS