The Baroque history of Maria Magdalena kyrka

The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene (S:ta Maria Magdalena kyrka) is located on Södermalm in central Stockholm, Sweden. The history of the site dates back to the 1350s when King Magnus Eriksson had a funeral chapel built there with permission from Pope Clement VI. Following the introduction of Protestantism in 1527, many churches and chapels on the ridges surrounding the city were destroyed, including the chapel of Mary Magdalene. Construction on a new church began in 1588 under King John III, though work halted after his death in 1592, leaving the building uncompleted until 1634.

The church received its Baroque appearance through the work of both Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and the Younger. While the spire designed by the elder Tessin was destroyed in a fire in 1759, Superintendent Carl Johan Cronstedt rebuilt the church and completed his task in 1763, preserving much of the previous design. The interior features a high altar painting of the Adoration of the Shepherds by Louis Masreliez, and a pulpit designed by Carl Johan Cronstedt was inaugurated in 1763.

The church contains a baptismal font dating from 1638 and a copper sacramental pan with capital inscriptions that survived the 1759 fire. Among the church's epitaphs are those dedicated to Christopher Polhem and Carl Michael Bellman. The grounds include older sepulchral chambers beneath the church and burial chapels along the southern part of the churchyard, one of which serves the parish of the Finnish Orthodox Church in Sweden. Prominent people buried at the church include Lasse Lucidor, Erik Johan Stagnelius, Werner Aspenström, Karl August Nicander, and Evert Taube.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons