A GUIDE TO
Uppsala Cathedral Photos Anders Damberg, Bo Gyllander, Anders Tukler and others Text Annika Franzon, English translation Martin Naylor
UPPSALA CATHEDRAL
We gratefully acknowledge the help of Herman Bengtsson, Christian Lovén and Ronnie Carlsson at the Uppland Museum who, together with Anna Nilsén, Inger Estham, Pia Bengtsson Melin, Göran Dahlbäck and others, have carried out extensive research on Uppsala Cathedral over the past decade. The results of this work have been published in the Sveriges kyrkor (Churches of Sweden) series, in 2010, 2014 and 2015, and funding for the research was provided by the Huselius Fund of the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities.
A Guide to Uppsala Cathedral © 2016 The author and Uppsala Cathedral Address: Uppsala Cathedral, Domkyrkoplan 5–7, 753 10 Uppsala, Sweden Email: uppsala.domkyrka@svenskakyrkan.se Phone: +46 18 430 36 30, www.uppsaladomkyrka.se English translation: Martin Naylor Translation of Tomas Tranströmer’s poem: Robin Fulton Scripture quotations, except where otherwise stated, are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Cover: Daniel Åberg/Åbergs stilus et forma Design: Daniel Åberg/Åbergs stilus et forma Cover photographs: Anders Damberg First edition, first impression ISBN: 978-91-979295-6-1 Printed by: Bulls Graphics, Halmstad, 2016 This work is protected under the Swedish Act on Copyright in Literary and Artistic Works.
PICTURE CREDITS Except as otherwise stated, photographs are by Anders Damberg, © Uppsala Cathedral. Cover, 69, 123 (bottom), 147 Anders Damberg, © Anders Damberg. 1 Aerial photograph WeDesign, © Uppsala Cathedral. 9 Lennart Engström, © Uppland Museum. 11, 112 Johan Peringskiöld, © Uppland Museum. 14 Unknown photographer, © Uppsala University Library. 19 Kerstin Nilsson, © Uppsala Cathedral. 24, 98, 119 (bottom), 144, 159 Annika Franzon, © Uppsala Cathedral. 41, 77, 78, 103, 111, 130, 149 Bo Gyllander, © Uppsala Cathedral. 43 Dan Pettersson DP-bild, © Uppsala Cathedral. 44–45, 47 (bottom) Andrew Canning, © Uppsala Cathedral. 46, 151 Magnus Aronson/IKON, © Uppsala Cathedral. 47 Andreas Hundertmark (top), © Uppsala Cathedral. 54 Tord Harlin, © Tord Harlin. 71 (top), 72, 119 (top) Olle Norling, © Uppland Museum. 74–75 Anders Tukler, © Uppsala Cathedral. 84 From the book Vasagraven i Uppsala domkyrka, Nordisk Rotogravyr, 1956. 87 Anders Damberg, © Uppsala Cathedral and © Anders Widoff/BUS 2014. 117, 165 Tord Harlin, © Uppsala Cathedral. 118 Gunnel Berggrén, © Uppsala Cathedral. 122 Johan Peringskiöld (top), © ATA Swedish National Heritage Board. 122 Emma Schenson (bottom), © Uppsala University Library. 123 Unknown photographer (top), © ATA Swedish National Heritage Board. 125 Anders Tukler, © Anders Tukler. 133 Gunnar Sundgren, © Uppland Museum. 136, 137 Christian Lovén, © Uppland Museum. 138 Nils Sundquist’s map of Cathedral Hill in medieval times, drawn by Stig Sundberg and published in Kyrkohistorisk årsskrift 1969. Numbering enhanced. 139 Drawn by Stig Sundberg and published by the County Custodian of Antiquities, Uppsala, and the Uppland Antiquarian Society, 1978. Reworked. 141 Teddy Thörnlund, © Uppsala University/Museum Gustavianum. 150 Kurt Eriksson, © National Archives of Sweden. 152 Mats Lagergren, © Church of Sweden, Diocese of Uppsala. 153 Jim Elfström/IKON, © IKON. 163 Jonathan Rex, © Uppsala Cathedral. Other graphics: Daniel Åberg/Åbergs stilus et forma.
EAST LADY CHAPEL – VASA CHAPEL
HORN CHAPEL
FINSTA CHAPEL AND RELIQUARY OF ST ERIK
18 19
17
STURE CHAPEL
16
ST ERIK’S CHAPEL AND DE GEER CHAPEL
20
15 HIGH ALTAR
JAGELLONICA CHAPEL
12
14
CHOIR
21
10
NEW ORGAN
SACRISTY
13
GYLLENBORG CHAPEL
5
MASENBACH CHAPEL
5
ST ANDREW’S CHAPEL AND SPÅNGBERG TABLEAUX
CARL BANÉR CHAPEL AND LINNAEUS MONUMENT
COMMEMORATIVE CHAPEL VON DOHNA CHAPEL
22
CROSSING
6 9
SOUTH TRANSEPT
7
8 PULPIT
23
CHAPEL OF PEACE
23
CHAPEL OF PRAYER
24
GUSTAV BANÉR CHAPEL
4
25
ST BOTVID’S CHAPEL AND SKYTTE CHAPEL
3
26
SWEDENBORG AND BIELKE CHAPEL
27
MENNANDER AND STENBOCK CHAPEL
NAVE
OLD ORGAN
2 29
9 28 1
NARTHEX
WEST
SOUTH
11
södra sidoskeppet
NORTH TRANSEPT
13
NORRA sidoskeppet
NORTH
VERGERS’ OFFICE
OXENSTIERNA CHAPEL
CONTENTS The Long History of the
21 The Oxenstierna Chapel .........96
Cathedral ..................................6
22 The South Transept ..............100
1 Entrance and Narthex ............18
23 The Chapels of Peace and
2 The Commemorative Chapel
Prayer ................................102
or Von Dohna Chapel ............20
24 The Gustav Banér Chapel .....105
3 The Carl Banér Chapel and
25 St Botvid’s Chapel –
the Carl Linnaeus Monument .25 4 St Andrew’s Chapel and the
Spångberg Tableaux ...............29 5 The Masenbach and
Gyllenborg Chapels ................31 6 The North Transept ...............33 7 The Crossing ...........................35 8 The Pulpit ..............................40 9 The Cathedral Organs ............42 10 The Choir ...............................48 11 Wall Paintings ........................53
The Skytte Chapel ................107 26 The Swedenborg and
Bielke Chapel .......................110 27 The Mennander and Stenbock Chapel ...................113 28 The Candle Trees .................115 29 The Treasury.........................118
Exterior and Towers of the Cathedral ..............................120 The Three Portals..................130 Cathedral Hill, Past and
12 The Corbels ............................57
Present ..................................138
13 Hidden Rooms .......................63
Old Uppsala..........................146
14 The Jagellonica Chapel ...........65
The Church in Sweden..........148
15 The Ambulatory Chapels .......69
The Cathedral in Figures ......154
16 The Sture Chapel ....................70
History of the Cathedral,
17 The Finsta Chapel and the
Year by Year..........................159
Reliquary of St Erik ................74 18 The Lady Chapel or
Vasa Chapel ............................79 19 The Horn Chapel ...................88 20 St Erik’s Chapel
– The De Geer Chapel ............90
Quotations, Special Thanks and Further Reading ........... 162 Bible Stories in the Wall Paintings ...............................164 Glossary ...............................166 Index ....................................172
The Long History of the Cathedral
Inside the huge romanesque church the tourists jostled in the half darkness. Vault gaped behind vault, no complete view. A few candle-flames flickered. An angel with no face embraced me and whispered through my whole body: ‘Don’t be ashamed of being human, be proud! Inside you vault opens behind vault endlessly. You will never be complete, that’s how it’s meant to be.’ Blind with tears I was pushed out on the sun-seething piazza together with Mr and Mrs Jones, Mr Tanaka and Signora Sabatini and inside them all vault opened behind vault endlessly.
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omas Tranströmer’s poem ‘Romanesque Arches’ offers a hint as to why, down the ages, people from different countries and of different faiths have felt powerfully moved by buildings such as churches and temples. For over 700 years, Uppsala Cathedral, the largest Gothic church in the Nordic countries, has been such a place, where people have caught a glimpse of the sacred.
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A National Sanctuary
ince 1164, Uppsala has been the seat of the archbishop of the Swedish Church. Uppsala Cathedral is therefore referred to as a national sanctuary, the church of the whole of Sweden, and has been the scene of many historic events. It also serves as the principal church of the Diocese of Uppsala and, since the 16th century, as a parish church (of Uppsala Cathedral Parish). When the archdiocese was first established, the church in what is now Old Uppsala was elevated to the status of a cathedral. It was built in the mid 12th century, and was probably the burial place of King Erik Jedvardsson around 1160. Erik later became the patron saint of Sweden and is often known as Erik the Holy or St Erik. The new cathedral, though, soon ended up away from the centre of things, as it became increasingly difficult to travel so far north on the river Fyrisån. The people of the area gravitated instead towards the growing trading centre of Östra Aros, 5 km to the south along the river. In the early 13th century, the church at Old Uppsala was destroyed in a major fire. Perhaps this precipitated the decision to build a new and larger one in Östra Aros. Churchmen were no doubt inspired by the majestic cathedrals they had seen abroad and dreamed of creating something similar in Sweden.
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The Medieval Cathedral
ork on the new cathedral began in the 1270s. In a surviving document from 1258, Pope Alexander IV gave permission for the seat of the archbishop to be moved to Östra Aros, on condition that the name Uppsala went with it. As a result, the name Östra Aros was abandoned and the original Uppsala became known as Old Uppsala. 8
Since its consecration in 1435, the Cathedral has thus undergone a good many changes (see illustrations on pages 122–123). No one knows exactly what the original exterior and interior looked like, as there are few early images or descriptions. But the floor plan and sense of space of the interior are still the same as when work began on the church over 700 years ago.
Important Meetings and Events 1593 Synod of Uppsala
– Decision to make the Church of Sweden Evangelical Lutheran.
1925 Closing service of the Universal Christian Conference on Life and Work
– Five years later, Archbishop Nathan Söderblom is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his initiative.
1968 Fourth Assembly of the World Council of Churches 1983 Conference on Life and Peace
– The Life & Peace Institute, a peace research organisation, is set up.
1989 First papal visit to Sweden
– Pope John Paul II visits the Cathedral.
2000 Taizé meeting (see photo on page 17)
– Some 3,000 young people gather in the Cathedral with brothers from the ecumenical Taizé Community in France.
2008 Interfaith Climate Summit
– International meeting on climate, cutting across faith boundaries.
2014 Antje Jackelén is the first woman to be installed as archbishop of the Church of Sweden.
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The Cathedral in the 21st Century
o this day, Uppsala Cathedral is a living church, to which people are constantly drawn. It is one of Sweden’s most popular attractions, with over half a million visitors from different countries passing through its doors every year. They come in search of tranquillity and strength, to listen to music, pray and worship, to feel the breath of history and to experience the beauty of the interior. Within the boundaries of the Cathedral Parish, moreover, there are several local churches and an active hospital chaplaincy. The pages that follow offer a guided tour inside and outside the Cathedral. We hope it will help you to make the most of your visit. A glossary at the back provides brief explanations of some key terms.
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Entrance and Narthex
T .
here is a rich symbolism to a church building. The space itself seeks to represent the encounter between people and God, earth and heaven. Often, the entrance is to the west, the direction of the world. From the east, the direction of paradise, comes the sun, warmth – and God. In that direction we find the most sacred space of the church, the sanctuary around the high altar. To enter the church, an image of the kingdom of heaven, it is necessary to pass through the door. At one point in the New Testament, Jesus says: ‘I am the door’ (King James Version). Church doors are therefore a kind of symbol of Christ and are often beautifully decorated, although we do not know what the medieval doors of the Cathedral looked like. The narthex serves as the vestibule of the church. According to one theory, the Swedish word for it, vapenhus, reflects how visitors may have had to leave their weapons here before entering. A church is a place of peace. Some of the Cathedral’s best-preserved medieval grave slabs, or ledger stones, have been moved to the narthex.
I
Earlier Chapels
n the Middle Ages, on the south side of the present narthex, there was a separate space with two groin vaults, probably a Chapel of St Thomas. Later, this space was used as a meeting room and for storage, before finally becoming the burial place of Archbishop Olof Swebilius (1624–1700) and his wife Elisabet Gyllenadler. Today, it provides a meeting point for groups of visitors, and has a simple wall display about the Cathedral. 18
The Masenbach and Gyllenborg Chapels
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oday, the Masenbach and Gyllenborg Chapels are among the more anonymous spaces of the Cathedral. Many of the once powerful people who were buried in the church and gave new names to its chapels are now forgotten. In the Middle Ages, the Gyllenborg Chapel may possibly have been dedicated to St Margaret, and the Masenbach Chapel perhaps to St James.
Funeral escutcheon of Anders von Flygarell in the Masenbach Chapel. 31
..
The Pulpit
T .
he present pulpit, dedicated in 1710, was a gift from the Queen Dowager Hedvig Eleonora. Its predecessor was no more than some 20 years old when it was destroyed in the great fire of 1702. The same wood carver, Burchardt Precht (1651–1738) of Stockholm, was commissioned to make a new pulpit, to a design by the architect Nicodemus Tessin the Younger (1654–1728).
The pulpit is in the Baroque style of the period and is made entirely of lime and pine wood, much of it gilded. On the backboard, we see John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness. The front panels have two motifs: to the left, Jesus’s parable of the landowner who hires labourers for his vineyard; to the right, the Apostle Paul preaching in Athens. The canopy, or tester, is surmounted by a sculpture of Paul, borne by angels. The letters HERS below are the initials of the royal donor: Hedvig Eleonora Regina Sueciæ. Above the door to the pulpit stairs is the figure of Faith (Fides), flanked by winged children symbolising the Law and the Gospel, or the Old and New Testament. Another interpretation is that they represent Catholicism and Protestantism. Burchardt Precht also carved a new altarpiece for the Cathedral, in the same style as the pulpit. It was installed in 1731. In the restoration of 1885–93, there were plans to create neo-Gothic replacements for both the altarpiece and the pulpit. The altarpiece was sold and is now in Gustav Vasa Church in Stockholm. The pulpit was initially stored in Uppsala Castle, but for financial reasons the architect overseeing the restoration, Helgo Zettervall, had to abandon the idea of a new one and the Baroque pulpit was finally reinstated. The pulpit. → 40
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The Cathedral Organs
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. . . .
he first indication of an organ in Uppsala Cathedral is from 1376, when wages were paid to an organist. But there may well have been one before that. Down the centuries, a number of organs have been built and either decommissioned or destroyed by fire. Today, the Cathedral has four.
Organs are often described as ‘Romantic’ or ‘Baroque’. The Romantic style of organ was developed in the 19th century, with a tonal character particularly well suited to compositions from that period. Around the time of the Second World War, tonal ideals changed, and for the next few decades the sharper, more distinct organ sound of the Baroque was to predominate. That trend also influenced the organ music of Uppsala Cathedral. The large organ on the gallery above the narthex was built in 1871 by Per Larsson Åkerman of Stockholm. It has 50 stops, three manuals (keyboards) and a pedalboard, and is an example of the breakthrough of Romanticism in organ-building. In 1940, to reflect the new ideals, some of the stops were replaced with others of a Baroque character. In 1975–76 the organ was renovated once again, and its Romantic qualities partly reinstated. The Åkerman instrument is one of the finest examples of the Swedish organ builder’s art and Sweden’s largest preserved organ of its period. The largest of its almost 3,200 pipes are 12 m long. During the late 19th-century restoration of the Cathedral, the Åkerman organ was dismantled. When it was reinstalled, its façade was lowered to afford a better view of the rose window. In preparation for the bicentenary in 1950 of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach, the Cathedral commissioned Marcussen & Son of Aabenraa, Denmark, to build an organ to be placed in the choir. It was the first chancel organ to be built in Sweden 42
and was therefore of historic significance, setting a new trend. This instrument has 15 stops, two manuals and a pedalboard. In the Sture Chapel there is a smaller, movable organ, known as a positive or chest organ. It has three stops and was built in 2002 by the firm of Johannes Menzel in HärnÜsand. This organ is mainly used for smaller services, baptisms and other sacraments in the Sture Chapel, but also as a continuo instrument for choral concerts.
The Ă…kerman organ and the west rose window. 43
In 2009, a new organ was dedicated in the north transept. Built by Fratelli Ruffatti of Padua, Italy, it is much more versatile than the Ă…kerman organ. The Ruffatti instrument has a movable console, allowing the organist to be closer to both choir and congregation. The new organ does not have the same limitations as the Ă…kerman or chancel instruments, making it suitable for music from different periods. It has 69 stops, four manuals and a pedalboard, 46
controlling 4,065 pipes and 37 bells. The case was designed by the architect Helena Tallius Myhrman (b.1953) and the artist Kjell Andersson. The pipes were placed in such a way as to allow the whole of the north rose window to be viewed from the crossing (photo on pages 44–45). The Cathedral has a rich musical life, with organ music making up a large part of it, through teaching and recitals. There are also several choirs for different age groups, which give concerts and sing in services throughout the year. The oldest is the Uppsala Cathedral Choir, founded in 1867. 47
The Choir .
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he choir, or chancel, is the heart of the church building and the place of the high altar. To emphasise the sacred character of this space, its floor was often built slightly higher, as is the case in Uppsala Cathedral.
The Cathedral is both the principal church of the Uppsala Diocese and the national sanctuary of Sweden. The choir and the high altar are therefore the place where priests and deacons of the diocese and all the bishops of the Church of Sweden are ordained. The choir of the Cathedral retains its original medieval shape, but its appearance has varied since the church was consecrated. The most prominent feature is the actual architecture, with its pointed vaults. Surviving images and descriptions allow us to imagine what the choir looked like at different times. In the Middle Ages, it was divided from the rest of the church by a Gothic screen, a tall, but probably latticed, partition of stone or wood. Along the sides there were choir stalls, where the clergy sat during services. The original altar was decorated with an image of the Virgin Mary, paid for by King Magnus Ladulås. In the late 15th century, this was replaced with a large winged altarpiece, probably representing the suffering and death of Christ. Close to it was another, with scenes from the legend of St Erik. After the 1702 fire, the carver Burchardt Precht was commissioned to make a new altarpiece and pulpit for the Cathedral. Their Baroque style, combined with whitewashed walls, gave the choir and the church as a whole a different appearance from in medieval times. Helgo Zettervall’s restoration of 1885–93 The high altar, with the ledger to Nathan and Anna Söderblom in the foreground. → 48
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changed the decoration of the choir yet again. A neo-Gothic winged altarpiece in dark wood was made by the artist and architect Folke Zettervall (1862–1955), Helgo’s son. The present wall paintings are from the same period. Since 1976, the high altar has been adorned with an almost 3 m high cross of silver and diamond-cut crystal glass, created by the artist Bertil Berggren-Askenström (1917–2006). At its foot are two smaller crosses – the Bible tells us that two bandits were crucified together with Jesus. On the silver relief below, human hands are extended in prayer to Christ, and the glass is decorated with cut symbols. The font in the choir, from 1757, is the work of the Uppland carver Magnus Granlund (d.1779) and is made of wood painted to resemble marble. The original pewter basin has not been preserved. When the reliquary of St Erik was moved from Old Uppsala to the new cathedral in 1273, the remains of the first archbishops were also transferred and given new graves in the western part of the choir. To the east of them, several of Sweden’s betterknown archbishops are interred. Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna (c.1417–67) held the post when the Swedish Church was still Roman Catholic. A supporter of the union between Sweden, Norway and Denmark, he was much involved in politics, even acting as regent for brief periods. Laurentius Petri Nericius (1499–1573) was the first archbishop following the Reformation. In his more than 40 years in office, he was to have a considerable influence on the changes that process would entail for the Church of Sweden. Nathan Söderblom (1866–1931), who was archbishop for 17 years, made an important contribution to ecumenism, or 50
UPPSALA CATHEDRAL is the largest church in Scandinavia, and a place filled with memories of the history of Sweden, Uppsala and the Swedish Church. Visitors have been drawn here for almost 750 years. They come to worship and to be inspired, as pilgrims and tourists, to look and to learn. Today, the Cathedral is one of Sweden’s most popular visitor attractions. A Guide to Uppsala Cathedral takes you, step by step, on a tour of the Cathedral. It is richly illustrated with photographs by, among others, Anders Damberg. Annika Franzon is visitors officer at the Cathedral. 52