Riddarholmen, Riddarholmskyrkan

Riddarholmskyrkan — the Church of the Knights — stands on the small island of Riddarholmen, just beside Gamla Stan, and is one of Stockholm's most striking medieval monuments. Founded as a Franciscan friary in the late 13th century, it became the burial church of Swedish monarchs, a role it held for centuries. Nearly every Swedish king and queen from Gustav II Adolf onward rests within its walls, making it a profound repository of royal history. Its slender cast-iron spire, added in the 19th century after the original was destroyed by lightning, is one of the most recognisable silhouettes on the Stockholm skyline. Today it functions as a museum rather than an active church.