Strängnäs Cathedral

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Strängnäs Cathedral is a cathedral church in Strängnäs, Sweden, since the Protestant Reformation the seat of the Lutheran Diocese of Strängnäs.ArchitectureIt is built mainly of bricks in the characteristic Scandinavian Brick Gothic style. The original church was built of wood, probably during the first decades of the 12th century, on a spot where pagan rituals used to take place and where the missionary Saint Eskil was killed during the mid 11th century. The wooden church was not rebuilt in stone and bricks until 1340, just after Strängnäs became a diocese.The cathedral contains a mixture of decorative styles. The nave, chancel, and sanctuary are highly traditional, with a very large triptych reredos dominating the high altar at the east end of the building. However, two of the side chapels have been refurbished in highly contemporary style, with modern altars, and abstract artistic decoration and religious symbolism.Prominent burialsThe cathedral contains the burials of Charles IX of Sweden, Sten Sture the Elder and Maria of Palatinate-Simmern.