After all the positive response on my last post (scroll down and check!): ‘Wandering through time in old Mariestad’, I’ll gladly give you all a follow up. There is always new jewelers to explore in our vacation city you know. This time it’s the medieval cathedral.
Mariestad Cathedral was built between 1593 and 1625 as a consequence of religious controversies between Duke Karl (later King Karl IX) and his brother King Johan III. In 1580, Värmland and the nothern part of Västergötaland had been detached from the diocese of Skara and given a super-intendant or their own, residing in Mariestad. The Duke had the new cathedral build mainly according to plans made by the Dutchn Willelm Boy for the church of Saint Clara in Stockholm, thus freely copying his brother’s most important church building in the capital.
The nave gives a most remarkable impression of unbroken unity, following the traditions of the late Middle Ages, vigorous vaults span a considerable width without supporting pillars.
The present day appearance of the cathedral was brought about in a restauration 1902-1905 by the architect Folke Zettervall who removed the rough cast and gave the spire its present height.
When my parents where here for a visit, we had this cultural highlight experience: A concert in the cathedral. It was the organist Ulf Lindstöm playing and Anders Andersson singing. The cathidral has an amazingly good acoustic! Among a lot of, he sang some nice once of the Norwegian, Edvard Grieg and it melted my heart of course:-)
(picture above is taken with my Nokia mobile phone – the two others in this post with my Nikon Coolpix S2). After the concert I went to Andersson and honored him for the lovely Grieg songs (I’m a Schmooze you know:-). He smiled, was flattered and said: ‘No problem, I’m half Norwegian you know!
Close to the cathedral, when wondering Old Mariestad the other day, we found even more beautiful wooden houses which happens to be the rectory:
With its large and verdant grounds and its outhouses, the Vicarage forms the boundary between the old and the new parts of the town.
Update:
This post has become a part of this years Lifecruisers Cyber Cruise. Read more about: Lifecruiser cyber cruise and here is Cyber Cruise Calendar 2007. Also check Tor and Anna meeting Capitan!
hello renny! the cathedral is marvelous and I would like to hear the Norwegian songs too.
And you have a beautiful weather! Beautiful blue sky!
RennyBA
I knew you would like it – hope we can join for a concert there one day!
The weather have been fairly good the last days. The weather forecast says rain and wind the coming days though. We’ll enjoy our vacation anyway:-)
I like Grieg’s music, too! Valkyries and kings and such, oh my! :-)
The cathedral is gorgeous, especially on the inside.
Hope you have a wonderful week, Renny. :-)
Love and hugs,
Diane
RennyBA
I knew you’d love our national music treasure – In the hall of the mountain King is my favorite too!
Even more impressive inside, yes!
Wish you a good one too:-)
I love cathedrals and I love Grieg, too and the two together… wonderful! What a lovely place Mariestad is and thank you for showing us. I love the tiles on the roof of the Vicarage…very picturesque.
RennyBA
Yea, Grieg and Cathedrals are perfect a match!
Glad you liked Mariestad – you should come and visit one day:-)
Hi! Nice job on your post and the pics! A picture is worth a thousand words! Old churches are some of the most valuable cultural treasures we have throughout the world, our history is reflected in the history of the local church, the building style, the craft work. Whether a person is religious or not, it is important not to overlook the history and the culture. Thanks for sharing! Deedee
RennyBA
Hi my dear and you know: the best off all is to experience all this together with you!
This is all so interesting and so beautiful. I love history and old buildings. Been seeing lots of that myself in the past week. I wish I was a quick as you to get things posted! :) I did post this morning and am working on more. But your stuff is really cool to read about!
RennyBA
Thanks for your compliment – I’m glad you find it interesting too!
Sorry tut tut !! I dropped past last night but it was nearly 1 AM and I was to kaput to leave a comment. Cultural pearls wonderful,! and need to be preserved I say.
I also took note of the timber built houses as Purr and I are considering building a timber house along Scandinavian lines or Canadian. if we managed to get planning permission as timber house are not the norm here.
I do presume they are very ecological and energy efficient even in the winter why else would they build them in such cold (in winter) countries.
RennyBA
Your forgiven! LoL
I do recommend a wooden house. The proof of the pudding of it’s solidness shown in my post. The ecological point of new is a modern thing, but the reason why Nordic countries settlers has used it for thousands of years is of course the energy efficiency. It was also the easiest available building materials here you know – besides wood is natrual and renewable.
I love old old buildings! The stories they could tell!
RennyBA
Yea, wish they had a tape recorder so we would listen to it:-)
That is so cool that you requested a song for him to sing, and he did for you! It must have been so magical hearing the music in the cathedral. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Norwegian music before as far as I can remember. :-)
RennyBA
Well, actually I did not asked him for it – it was on his plan – but yea, it was magic. If you like classic music, check Edvard Grieg our national composer – it’s Norwegenly good:-)
in most of my travels i always visit churches cathedrals it certainly shows how much power church had in the old days.
RennyBA
Actually i do too – it’s like entering the peace from the old times.
I love the acoustics in most churches, especially old ones. Is that gold inside the church?
RennyBA
I do agree, and great atmosphere too you know!
Yea, gold on the frames of the paintings and in the crucifix – and on the altar of course.
hello there renny. been busy for two weeks and now im back to blogging.
I see you your mariestad entries. and this new one with the cathedral is just lovely. i love visiting old churches. in the Philippines we have these Visita Iglesia tradition where one visits all the churches he can.
RennyBA
Good to see you back!
Glad you liked both posts. Your tradition sounds good.
Beautiful contrast of the church and the blue sky. Plus a lovely concert – how wonderful.
RennyBA
Glad you liked the pics too and I know you found some of interest when you where in Norway this summer too:-)
hello renny, lovely pictures you got there, is it in Sweden right? is Sweden part of Spanish country?
and oh by the way, how come i’m not listed in your links huhuhu :(
RennyBA
Hi, glad you liked them! Spanish? It’s in Scandinavia!
Sorry, you very soon will be there:-)
That’s beautiful. We have a lot of old cathedrals all over my country.
RennyBA
Thanks and I know you have a lot of them and very beautiful too!
Renny,
one thing is missing in the church: You playing the Orgue, as you did last December.
RennyBA
Well, you and Anna wasn’t there to inspire me LoL
I love all the beauty and history your area holds. It would make a perfect vacation spot, but I would want to spend weeks and weeks wandering.
Renny, I just love the idea that I can sit here in Los Angeles and “visit” your part of the world through your wonderful pictures ! It is really miraculous, isn’t it?
So, another wonderful post about a place I would never get to see, if it weren’t for you! Thank You So Much!
Renny
Great blogs from Mariestad. Why don’t link your blog stories and pictures to a map, either on Flickrs or by using a Google map. In my Flickr album “Flom i Sandvikselva” (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rsannes/sets/72157600642232775/) some of the pictures are linked to a map, and on my new page about our house in Skagersvik (www.sannes.info/skagersvik) I made a link to Google maps, giving the opportunity to find directions, information about the vicinity, etcetera. You could do so with many of you excellent pictures from the beautiful country of Norway :-)
RennyBA
Thanks buddy and since you have your vacation house near by, you know what I’m talking about:-)
Links to a map in my post is an excellent idea. Most of my Flickr pictures are mapped, but I’ll check Google map and explore to enriches my post!
There’s nothing like old church architecture, Renny, as far as I’m concerned! And of course, I would have been a sucker for Grieg’s music as well. :)
RennyBA
I knew you would love it and also that you’ve seen a lot of them all over Europe. Yea: Grieg is a national treasure you know:-)