Saint Jacob's Church, compared with many of Stockholm's famous buildings, does not look very impressive. That is why many tourists strolling along the waterfront do not notice it. And yet it is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the capital of Sweden!
This church was erected in the last quarter of the 16th century on the site of an even older church with a history of almost 300 years. In the Middle Ages, this small chapel stood on the site of the present-day royal park. It was dedicated to Saint Jacob, the patron saint of sailors and travelers, and together with another modest church it was demolished under Gustav Vasa.
His son Johan III, however, decided to build two new churches in Stockholm. Thus, in 1580, work began on the construction of Saint Jacob's Church and Saint Clara's Church.
At that time, stone replaced wood, which had been traditional in Sweden, and the new church became a true adornment of this part of the capital. It was later reconstructed, but that does not deprive the building of its status as one of the oldest in the entire city.
Several unique artifacts have survived in the church to this day, including a 17th-century baptismal font, silver church utensils, and porticoes created by the master stonemasons Henrik Blom and Hans Hebel.
