Uppsala domkyrka

UPPSALA DOMKYRKA, The day the King won the martyr's palm and went to heaven.

Our destination is the Cathedral, the largest church in the Nordic countries. We can enter through St. Larsporten in the south transept, the original main entrance with rich decoration, and immediately stand in a 27-meter high vision of heaven. Its basic inspiration is French Gothic, but like a human body, it has been marked by the passage of years, disasters (a fire in 1702 and a painstaking restoration around 1890 in the spirit of the time), restoration and redecoration, and now appears as a well-groomed pensioner. But why was it built at all? The location was not obvious, both Sigtuna and Gamla Uppsala were strong candidates for the archbishopric. Perhaps Olav the Holy, Princess Ingegerd's suitor and brother-in-law, should be highlighted as an involuntary inspiration. After his death, Olav was soon venerated as Norway's patron saint, and Nidaros Cathedral gradually became a European pilgrimage destination. Young Sweden needed a corresponding national symbol, and one was found in Erik Jedvardsson, king around 1150-1160. Perhaps he undertook a crusade to Finland and converted the heathens with the sword in the straightforward manner of the time. According to legend, he was murdered on Ascension Day by beheading on the hill outside the then Trinity Church, located on the present site of the Cathedral. (The head is said to have rolled down the hill to the river, where a spring sprang up, from which you can now drink again.) The historical background is not known with today's critical science, but here they had their national symbol, which to the Pope's horror soon came to be provided with a provincial saint's glory - the legend tells of 50 miracles. This enabled Östra Aros, as the place was called, to beat out the other candidates for the archbishopric. Erik's reliquary has been renewed a couple of times, most recently by John III, and can be seen in the church, which at a late stage was equipped with two huge west towers and thus trumps Nidaros Cathedral in power. The church was completed at the end of the 15th century, but by then the pilgrimages were almost over. The church never became a pilgrimage destination on a par with the Norwegian cathedral, even though both Olav and Erik, along with St. Lars, are the church's patron saints.

From "Ingegerdsleden: Pilgrimage route for spirituality, culture and peace" published by the Church of Sweden. Available as PDF: https://www.svenskakyrkan.se/filer/Ingegerdsleden_bok.pdf