Domkyrkan

The current church was preceded by a church from the first half of the 17th century, situated down by the bank of the river Klarälven. This church had in turn replaced an older wooden church of medieval origin on the same site. When the 17th-century church was reduced to ashes in a fire in 1719, it was decided that the new church should be located on Lagberget. Construction of the church began here in 1723 under Jonas Fristedt from Stockholm, who did not, however, complete the building, but handed it over to the German-born master mason Christian Haller. The cathedral was built as a centralised church with a regular Greek cross plan, and belongs to a group of churches whose stylistic origins were introduced to Sweden chiefly by the architect Jean de la Vallée. A wooden tower was built over the crossing, but this was taken down again already in the 1790s. The church's regular cross plan was broken when a west tower was erected in 1734-37. During the rebuilding after the town fire of 1865, which reduced the whole of Karlstad to ashes, the exterior was further remodelled, as the church's roof and the tower's superstructure had been damaged. At the end of the 18th century the chancel area was renewed in a style typical of the period, to designs by the architect Erik Palmstedt. The pulpit, the bishop's pew, and the altar wall with its semicircular niche for the altar, flanked by sculpture niches containing plaster works by Johan Tobias Sergel, remain fairly intact. In 1967-68 the cathedral was restored under the direction of the architect Kurt von Schmalensee. At that time the church was given a new free-standing altar, while Palmstedt's chancel wall was moved back to its original location. The cathedral was most recently renovated in 1998, at which time the tower, among other things, received new copper sheeting. The painting was improved, and a new light globe in the form of a tree was installed, along with a new glass cabinet displaying older items from the church's collection, including a Charles XII Bible and a letter from Queen Kristina dated 1647 stating that Karlstad, rather than Mariestad, was to become the diocesan seat, whereby the Diocese of Karlstad was established. The Bible was donated to the town and the old cathedral in 1705.

Bedjan: Mass Wed 12.00, Bells and lunchtime music Thu 12.00, Mass Thu 18.00

Guide: Mon-Fri 13.15 Guided tour, 15.00 Tower ascent (16 June-15 August)