St. John's Catholic Church sold to the Polish Catholic Mission

St. John's Catholic Church is a neo-gothic building located in the Norrmalm district of Stockholm, Sweden. Designed by Carl Möller, the stone church was completed in 1890 to replace a wooden chapel built in 1651. In December 2024, the Church of Sweden announced that the building would be sold to the Polish Catholic Mission effective immediately, ensuring the building remains in Christian hands as many redundant churches are turned into community centres or breweries.

During the 21st century, the church was leased from the Church of Sweden by the Roman Catholic Church to minister to Polish Catholics in Sweden. The building faced a significant crisis in 2021 when an eight-ton counterweight in the 70-metre tall tower was discovered to be rusted. This led to a renovation process that cost an estimated 43 million Swedish krona, which eventually rose to 226 million SEK. During this time, most Lutherans moved to worship at nearby St Stephen's Church.

The restoration revealed that the church was built using modern construction techniques, including a steel structure in the spire similar to those used in early skyscrapers. Although the money for restoration was eventually found, the church was left with a 56 million SEK maintenance debt. Despite the sale of the building, the bell tower and the church's cemetery will remain the property of the Church of Sweden.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons