A visit to the Lund Cathedral and a fine bistro…

Lunds domkyrka (Lund cathedral) began construction around 1080 AD or some 938 years ago.  Which makes it one of the oldest churches in Sweden.  Now one must remember that in this time Sweden was just entering into Christianity as the Viking era had only just ended around 1066.  At the time of construction, Lund was a very important part of Denmark and indeed became the center for Danish Christianity for a number of centuries.  Lund, which is located in the province of Skåne, only officially became part of Sweden on July 3, 1720.

But enough Skåne history, as I’m beginning to bore myself.  Should you wish to learn more about Skåne, just click here.  So let’s take a walk through the cathedral and I’ll share some interesting facts.  We’ll finish off with a peak at our favorite Lund lunch spot, so please read on.

Into the cathedral we go…

Knock, Knock can we come in?  Actually, this is the side entrance with massive wooden doors and wonderful bronze strapping and a very cool knocker.  The formal cathedral doors are cast of bronze with twenty-four motives of biblical references cast into them.  The doors unfortunately were not in a photographing mood at the time of our visit.

As one enters through the large heavy bronze (unphotographable) front doors you arrive in the Vapenhus or chuch porch.  Varpenhus i kyrka (church porch) is an enclosed room where one would store ones weapons prior to entering the cathedral.  No weapons these days, just lovely posters of inspiration.  Once inside the church porch the quarried sandstone walls can plainly be seen.  The entire main cathedral is constructed from quarried sandstone, which was said to have been mined in Höör, which is about 40 kilometers from the cathedral.  Now you might think that’s not far to transport all those huge quarried stones, but it was done over 900 years ago.

I’ll never forget the first time I entered the cathedral.  It was December of 1998 and the awe I felt looking into the main nave will always be with me.  As will the the smell of the candles burning and a distance smell of an unknown incense, but then it was Christmas.  The Lund cathedral is built in the Romanesque style of the Lombardy and Rhine regions.  As with most cathedrals of this period, the lighting is limited with just a few windows from the above clerestory spewing in the sun’s rays.

Photographic disclaimer:  As the main church has minimal light, one must shoot images at a very high ISO and a very slow speed.  As with most churches, no artificial lighting or mono/tri-pods are allowed. All images I took were shot at ISO 1600-3200 at 30-45 sec exposure.  Thus explaining the lack of sharpness.

Now some of you have surely thought by now, “this looks like a Catholic cathedral not a Lutheran”. Well, you’re right, the church was built during the era of Catholicism in Sweden which ended in the mid 1500’s at the end of the “Reformation in Denmark“.  Remember, Skåne and thus Lund were still a part of Denmark at that time.

The wonderfully ornate pulpit is located in the nave, just prior to traveling through the crossing.

As we walk further into the cathedral we pass through the crossing towards the chancel and up towards heart of the church.  Moving up the stairs we pass the ancient wooden choir pews, intricately carved from some ancient trees.  As the wooden pews are very old, one is not allowed to touch or sit on them.  My how I’d like to sit in one and imagine what it would have been like 100’s of years ago.

 

As our visit was just prior to Easter the altarpiece above the main altar was veiled in violet cloth.

Thanks to Wiki Commons, we are able to see the altarpiece in it’s unveiled glory.

As we turn and look back towards the nave and the front entrance, we get a sense of the grandeur of this wonderful cathedral.  The main organ (seen in the upper level) was built between 1932-1934 and boasts 7,074 pipes and 102 stops.  When they fire this baby up, the sound is incredible.  There are a total of five organs in the cathedral.

Down the steeps and around the left corner of the crossing you see, what I believe to be, a tribute to the days of Catholicism.  The wood caved confessionals are a wonder to view.  One must muse to what sins must have been confessed in those wooden kiosks.

To the left and down the steps through the isle brings one to the devotional area, where votive candles are lit and prayers and wishes made.

Across the nave in the opposing isle rests the Horologium mirabile Lundense astronomical clock, which was built in the late 1300’s.  Then in 1837, the clock was placed in storage, likely the result of its need of repairs.  For many years it sat in storage, until in 1925 when it was restored and re-erected in the cathedral.  It is quite a sight to see, when at noon everyday, the clock go into its full presentation.

This brings to a close my quick tour of the main cathedral and high altar, but coming next is the crypt.  Full of very old archbishops’ bones and the first cathedral altar.

The Crypt at Lund Cathedral

 Let me tell you guys, it’s dark and a bit spooky down here.  As you enter to cool crypt, you sense the presence of many souls from the past.  At least I did.  The crypt was actually consecrated prior to the main cathedral in 1123.  It contains the tomb of archbishop Birger Gunnersen and sarcophagi, grave slabs and such for a bunch of folks that I haven’t clue as to who they were.

 

As you walk around in the dim light, one must be careful not to tread over the grave of an ancient one.

They are everywhere…..

Ol’ Birger Gunnersen was interned here in 1519.  He was actually the last Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Lund that was approved by the Pope.

This image, for me, was the most striking.  As the sun was waning, a ray of sunlight hit the cross on the crypt altar, giving it a magical look.  This altar was consecrated in 1123 and remains much the same as it was then.

As we left the cathedral that wonderful sunny afternoon, we glanced over toward the old buildings (still in use) of Lund University.  But, more on that subject at another time.  Should you still be hankering for more on the Lund Cathedral, please take time to view the short 8 minute video below (English friendly).  Over 700,000 people visit Lund Cathedral every year and now you have as well.  A must see when visiting Sweden.

YouTube video provided courtesy of Lunds Domkyrka.

And then there was a bistro…

After our visit to Lund Cathedral it was mid-afternoon and our tummies were growling.  So we headed across the street to our favorite Lund bistro, Klostergatans Vin och Delikatess.  We had a wonderful lunch, with Eva enjoying her favorite, Skagen på smörstekt surdeg (Toast Skagen).  But, more on that in our upcoming post, “Skagen på smörstekt surdeg (Toast Skagen) and our favorite Lund bistro…”.  We’ll chat a bit about the bistro and take you through the process of making Toast Skagen, a Swedish classic smörgås.

FYI: Also, after some fierce negotiations with Chloe dog’s agent, we’ve come together on a new bi-annual contract.  So, that means she’ll be returning in the next post with her famous Paw Print 🐾 reviews.

Thanks for taking time to join us on our tour of Lund Cathedral!

Don’t forget to leave us your thoughts and comments below.