The Cathedral of Uppsala is the largest church building in Scandinavia, being 118.7 m high. The construction of the cathedral began already in the 13th century, but it would take more than a century to complete the construction. It was inaugurated 1435 under archbishop Olaus Laurentii, but was actually still not completely finished. It was dedicated to the saints Lawrence, a most cherished saint in all of Sweden at that time, Eric the Saint the patron of Sweden, and Saint Olaf the patron of Norway. After completion in the following decades, it has been damaged by fire a couple of times and substantially changed at every restoration, altering its appearance significantly. However, the size and shape of the cathedral has been quite the same over the times.
In the Middle Ages, when all houses in Uppsala except the churches consisted of one- or two-storeyed houses made of wood or sometimes bricks, the cathedral must have seemed even more enormous than today.
A number of Swedish kings and personalities lie buried inside, among others:
- Gustav Vasa, 16th century, mighty King of Sweden
- Carolus Linnaeus, 18th century, world renowned botanist
- Emanuel Swedenborg, 18th century, scientist and mystic. He was not originally buried here, but his remainings were moved here from England in 1908.
- Nathan Söderblom, 19th-20th century, notable archbishop
- Eric the Saint, 11th century, King and Catholic saint
See also
