| Saint Mary's Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Saint Mary's Church | |
| Location | Stockholm County |
| Country | Sweden |
| Denomination | Church of Sweden |
| History | |
| Dedication | Blessed Virgin Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of Uppsala |
| Parish | Sigtuna Parish |
St. Mary's Church (Swedish:Mariakyrkan) is aLutheran church inSigtuna, not far fromStockholm, Sweden. It belongs to theArchdiocese of Uppsala.
The church was built by theDominican order as their convent church, and construction began in the 1230s. The church was inaugurated in 1247, but was probably not finished until 1255, whenJarler,Archbishop of Uppsala, was entombed in the church.[1][2]
The Dominicans had tried to establish a presence in the city earlier, but had not succeeded.[3] The church was built as part of a larger monastic complex. Of this convent nothing remains today; it was closed during theReformation and the bricks used as building materials, e.g. atSvartsjö Palace andVenngarn Castle. The church is the only medieval church in Sigtuna to have survived the Reformation; the city has an additional three medieval church ruins.[1]
During the 1280s, the church was expanded and partly remade. No major alterations were then made of the church until a renovation in 1904–05. The church was again renovated and upgrade between 1966 and 1971 under the direction of architects Bengt Romare (1902–1968) and Jerk Alton.[1][4]
The church is built ofbrick in a transitional style, betweenRomanesque andGothic. It is the earliest known brick church in the area aroundLake Mälaren. The church is built as ahall church with twoaisles and a centralnave. The church lacks anapse and to the east finishes in a straight wall. Internally, it was decorated withfrescos, some of which are medieval and some of which are reproductions from the 1904-05 renovation. Externally, the façade is decorated withblind arches.[1] One of thechurch bells is of Russian origin, taken asloot during theIngrian War. It was made inPskov.[5]
Media related toSt. Mary's Church, Sigtuna at Wikimedia Commons59°37′06″N17°43′22″E / 59.61833°N 17.72278°E /59.61833; 17.72278
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