Bishop Lennart Koskinen with some young people.

The Church of Sweden, or Svenska kyrkan, is the national church of Sweden. Until 2000 it also had a position as state church. 78.3 % of Swedes belong to this church (2004 statistics). Image File history File links Bisop-och-jimmy. ... Image File history File links Bisop-och-jimmy. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... A state religion (also called an established church or state church) is a religious body or creed officially endorsed by the state. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Church describes itself in the following manner:

• The Church of Sweden is an Evangelical Lutheran community of faith manifested in parishes and dioceses. The Church of Sweden also has a national organisation.
• The Church of Sweden is an open national church, which, working with a democratic organisation and through the ministry of the church, covers the whole nation.

The head of the Swedish Church is the Archbishop of Uppsala. Democracy (from Greek δημοκρατία (demokratia), δημος (demos) the common people + κρατειν (kratein) to rule + the suffix ία (ia), literally the common people rule) is a system where the population of a society controls the government. ... The Patriarchal cross The Archbishops Palace in Uppsala, designed in the 18th century by the architect Carl Hårleman, but built on older foundations. ...

History

Middle ages

For details, see Early Swedish History.

Sweden was, because of its geographical location in northernmost Europe, not Christianized until around AD 1000, around the same time as the other Nordic countries, when the Swedish King Olof was baptized. However, because of the unclear national borders, it can not be said that the whole of Sweden was fully Christianized until the 12th century, after the heathen Temple at Uppsala had been demolished; while in the northern district Laplandia, little effort was made to introduce Christianity for another century. // Viking age 9th century For the time period leading up to the Viking Age, see Pre-history of Sweden During the 9th century extensive Scandinavian settlements were made on the east side of the Baltic sea. ... World map showing Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ... The historical phenomenon of Christianization, the conversion of individuals to Christianity or the conversion of entire peoples at once (a political shift as much as a spontaneous mass shift in individual consciences), also includes the practice of converting pagan cult practices, pagan religious imagery, pagan sites and the pagan calendar... Anno Domini (In the Year of the Lord), abbreviated as AD or A.D. defines an epoch based on the traditionally-reckoned year of the birth (or actually Incarnation) of Jesus of Nazareth. ... // Events World Population 300 million. ... The Nordic countries (Greenland not shown) The Nordic countries, also referred to as Norden (The North), and less stringently as Scandinavia, is a term used collectively for five countries in Northern Europe. ... Coin minted for Olof Skötkonung in Sigtuna Olof of Sweden or Olof Skötkonung/Skottkonung (the meaning of the cognomen is disputed) was the son of Eric the Victorious and Sigrid the Haughty. ... The Temple at Uppsala was a temple in Gamla Uppsala (Old Uppsala), near modern Uppsala, Sweden, that was created to worship the Norse gods of ancient times. ... Laponia, or Lappland, was a historical Province or landskap in the extreme north of Sweden. ...

The most cherished national Catholic saints were the Swedish King Eric the Saint in the 12th century and the visionary Saint Birgitta in the 14th century, but other regional heroes also had a local cult following, including Saint Botvid in Sudermannia, Saint Helena and Saint Sigfrid in Smalandia. In their names, miracles were performed and churches were named. In general, the term Saint refers to someone who is exceptionally virtuous and holy. ... Categories: Stub | Assassinated people | Saints | Swedish monarchs ... (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... Narrowly, a visionary is one who experiences a supernatural vision or apparition. ... Italic textSaint Birgitta, also known as St. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... Sudermannia or Södermanland, is a historical province or landskap on the south eastern coast of Sweden. ... Saint Sigfrid (Sigfried, Siegfrid, Siegfried, Sigfridus) (Glastonbury, ?–Växjö, 1045) was a Benedictine evangelist in Sweden; he converted king Olof in 1008. ... Smalandia (Småland, literally Small Country) is a historical Province (landskap) in southern Sweden. ... According to many religions, a miracle, derived from the old Latin word miraculum meaning something wonderful, is a striking interposition of divine intervention by God in the universe by which the operations of the ordinary course of Nature are overruled, suspended, or modified. ...

Sweden remained Catholic until the Protestant reformation in the 1530s. The Protestant Reformation was a movement which emerged in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe. ... Centuries: 15th century - 16th century - 17th century Decades: 1480s 1490s 1500s 1510s 1520s - 1530s - 1540s 1550s 1560s 1570s 1580s Years: 1530 1531 1532 1533 1534 1535 1536 1537 1538 1539 Events and Trends Spanish conquest of Peru Beginning of colonization of Brazil Categories: 1530s ...

Reformation

Lutheran ideas spread in the 1530s, led by King Gustav Vasa and the brothers Olaus Petri, and Laurentius Petri in Sweden, and later Mikael Agricola in Österland, today known as Finland. The Lutheran Church gradually established itself in 16th century, even though its exact forms were not defined in the Riksdag until 1591, and finally completed with the Uppsala Synod 1593. Luthers seal Lutheranism is a Christian tradition committed to the main theological insights of Martin Luther. ... Gustav I of Sweden, commonly known as Gustav Vasa, but originally known as Gustav Eriksson (May 12, 1496 – September 29, 1560) was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death. ... Petri outside Storkyrkan, Stockholm Olof Persson (sometimes Petersson; born January 6, 1493 in Örebro, died April 19, 1552 in Stockholm), better known under the Latin form of his name, Olaus Petri, was a clergyman, writer and a main character of the Protestant reformation in Sweden. ... Laurentius Petri Nericus (Örebro 1499 – October 27, 1573), originally Lars Persson, was a Swedish clergyman and the first Evangelical Lutheran Archbishop of Sweden. ... Mikael Agricola Mikael Agricola (c. ... Österland, or Österlanden, is a historical land of Sweden. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... The Riksdag or Sveriges Riksdag is the Parliament of Sweden. ... Events June - Capture of Zutphen by the Dutch under Maurice of Nassau. ...

Meanwhile Sweden had been ruled by a king with Catholicizing tendencies, John III, and another openly Catholic one, John's son Sigismund, who was also ruler of Catholic Poland but eventually deposed from the Swedish throne by his uncle. The latter, who acceded the throne as Charles IX used the Lutheran church as an instrument in his power struggle against his nephew, but is known to have had Calvinist leanings. John III (Johan III) (December 23, 1537 - November 27, 1592) was King of Sweden from 1568 until his death. ... Reign in Poland From September 18, 1587 until April 19, 1632 Reign in Sweden From November 17, 1592 until July 24, 1599 Elected in Poland On September 18, 1587 in Wola, today suburb of Warsaw, Poland Coronation in Poland On December 27, 1587 in the Wawel Cathedral, Kraków, Poland... Charles IX (Karl IX) (October 4, 1550 – October 30, 1611), was King of Sweden from 1604 until his death. ... In an unadorned church, the 17th century congregation stands to hear the sermon. ...

An important part of the reformation was the transition from Latin to the vernacular language in church services, and in translation of the Bible. Because of the Bible translation, the reformers Olaus Petri and Agricola also had an instrumental importance for the development of Swedish and Finnish as written languages. Other changes of the reformation included the abolition of some Catholic rituals. However, the changes were not as drastic as in Germany; in many Swedish churches there still today remain artifacts from Catholic times, such as crosses, crucifixes and icons. And many holy days, based on Saints days, were not removed from the calendar until the late 18th century because of a strong resistance from the population. Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... The vernacular is the native language of a country or locality. ... Worship usually refers to specific acts of religious praise, honour, or devotion, typically directed to a supernatural being such as a god or goddess. ... The Bible (Hebrew תנ״ך tanakh, Greek η Βίβλος [hē biblos] ) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word Scripture), from Greek (τα) βίβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity. ... The Bible has been translated into many languages. ... A written language is a language that uses a writing system to convey meaning, or more generally the written form of any language that has such written components. ... The traditional form of the Christian cross, known as the Latin cross. ... A crucifix amidst the cornfields near Mureck in rural Styria, Austria A handheld crucifix A crucifix in front of the Holy Spirit Church in Košice, Slovakia A crucifix is a cross with a representation of Jesuss body, or corpus (plural, corpora). ... The Savior (1410s, by Andrei Rublev) For other senses of this word, see icon (disambiguation). ... ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ...

Lutheran Orthodoxy

19th century

For details, see: Foundation of Modern Sweden

By the Treaty of Fredrikshamn in 1809, which followed the Finnish War, Sweden ceded Finland to the Russian Empire and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland became the successor to the Church of Sweden in Finland. // Gustav Vasa Main article: Gustav I of Sweden Gusav Vasa Gustav I of Sweden (Vasa) had political and religious difficulties in his kingdom established in 1523. ... The Treaty of Fredrikshamn (Freden i Fredrikshamn in Swedish and Haminan rauha in Finnish ) was a peace treaty concluded between Sweden and Russia on September 17, 1809. ... 1809 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Finnish War was fought between Sweden and Russia from February 1808 to September 1809. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is the Lutheran national church of Finland (The Finnish Orthodox Church is also recognized as a state church). ...

Present

Unlike most other Protestant churches — including most Lutheran churches — the Church of Sweden (along with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland) continues to maintain the historic episcopate. It is liturgically and theologically high church, having retained priests, vestments, and the Mass during the Reformation. Protestantism is a movement within Christianity, representing the splitting away from the Roman Catholic Church during the mid-to-late Renaissance in Europe—a period known as the Protestant Reformation. ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland is the Lutheran national church of Finland (The Finnish Orthodox Church is also recognized as a state church). ... The episcopate is the status of a bishop. ... Neo-Lutheranism was a 19th century revival movement within Lutheranism, which began as a reaction against Pietism. ...

As a state church, and during the 20th century, bishops were nominated by a conclave of clerics and then formally appointed by the Government of Sweden, ultimately depending on legislation by the Parliament of Sweden. In 2000 when the Church was separated from the state, a new body, the Church Assembly, or Kyrkomötet, was created to fulfill the role previously held by the national parliament. Members of the Church Assembly as well as local Parish Councils are appointed in elections held every four years among church members. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... con·clave (knklv, kng-) n. ... Sweden is a constitutional monarchy with a representative democracy based on a parliamentary system. ... Riksdag is also the Swedish name of the Parliament of Finland. ... See also civil religion. ...

Church politics

The Church adopted, at the time that it was still a state church, an administrative structure largely modelled after the state. Direct elections are held to Church, Diocese, Community (Samfällighet) and Parish (Församling) assemblies. The electoral system is the same as used in the parliamentary or municipal elections. The groups that take part in the elections are called nominating groups (nomineringsgrupper). In some cases the nationwide political parties take part in the elections, such as the Social Democrats, the Moderates and the Centre Party. In other cases individual members of political parties form separate associations to launch candidatures in the church elections. A growing phenomenon is various 'non-partisan' groups putting up candidatures. Nominating groups (in Swedish: Nomineringsgrupper) is the name given to political parties and other outfits that take part in the elections to the various governing bodies of the Church of Sweden The Church of Sweden adopted, at the time that it was still a state church, an administrative structure largely... A political party is an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... The Swedish Social Democratic Workers Party (Sveriges socialdemokratiska arbetareparti, commonly referred to as Socialdemokraterna), is the largest political party in Sweden. ... The Moderate Coalition Party or Moderata samlingspartiet (commonly referred to as Moderaterna) is a liberal-conservative political party in Sweden. ... The Centre Party (Centerpartiet) is a political party in Sweden. ...

• See also: Elections to the Church Assembly, 2005

Elections were held to the Church Assembly (Kyrkomötet), i. ...

Administrative divisions

The Church of Sweden is divided into thirteen dioceses (stift). A diocese is divided into "contracts" (kontrakt), which are then divided into parishes (församlingar). One or several parishes may together form a larger parish (pastorat). Pope Pius XI blesses Bishop Stephen Alencastre as fifth Apostolic Vicar of the Hawaiian Islands in a Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace window. ... A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ...

Dioceses, with seats, cathedrals and bishops

The Patriarchal cross The Archbishops Palace in Uppsala, designed in the 18th century by the architect Carl HÃ¥rleman, but built on older foundations. ... Uppsala (older spelling Upsala) 59°51′ N 17°38′ E is a Swedish City in central Sweden, located about 70 km north of Stockholm. ... See also Archbishop of Uppsala Categories: Sweden geography stubs | Buildings and structures stubs | Swedish churches | Cathedrals | Uppsala ... List of all archbishops of Uppsala, Sweden. ... Karl Gustav Hammar (born February 18, 1943) has been Archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden, since 1997. ... The Patriarchal cross The Archbishops Palace in Uppsala, designed in the 18th century by the architect Carl HÃ¥rleman, but built on older foundations. ... The diocese of Gothenburg is a diocese of Church of Sweden. ... Gothenburg (Swedish: (help· info)) ) is a city and municipality on the west-coast of Sweden, in the County of Västra Götaland. ... The Diocese of Härnösand is a division in the Church of Sweden. ... Coat of arms - a beaver with a pike in its mouth Härnösand is a Municipality in Västernorrland County, northern Sweden. ... The Diocese of Kalmar was a division of the Church of Sweden. ... Kalmar is a city in SmÃ¥land in south east Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. ... The Diocese of Växjö is one of the 13 dioceses or regional units of the Lutheran Church of Sweden. ... The Diocese of Karlstad is a diocese of the Church of Sweden. ... Karlstad [kɑːɭstɑː(d)] is a City and Municipality in Värmland County, in mid-western Sweden. ... The diocese of Linköping is a Swedish diocese. ... Linköping in Sweden Aerial photo of Linköping. ... Linköping Cathedral The Linköping Cathedral (in Swedish: Linköpings domkyrka) is a church in the Swedish city of Linköping. ... Bishops of the Diocese of Linköping, Sweden. ... The diocese of LuleÃ¥ is a Swedish diocese of the Church of Sweden. ... LuleÃ¥ Municipality (  listen, ) is a Swedish municipality in northern Sweden where the city LuleÃ¥ is seat with a population of about 45,000. ... The Diocese of Lund is the southernmost diocese in the Church of Sweden. ... (help· info) or is a Scanian city in the SkÃ¥ne province of southernmost Sweden. ... Lund Cathedral Byggnaden The Lund Cathedral, or Lunds Domkyrka, is a cathedral in Lund, Sweden. ... Christina Odenberg, Bishop of Lund since 1997. ... Christina Odenberg Christina Odenberg (born March 26, 1940) is a bishop in the Diocese of Lund in Sweden. ... The Diocese of Mariestad was a division of the Church of Sweden. ... Mariestad is a Municipality in Västra Götaland County, in western Sweden. ... The Diocese of Skara is a diocese of the Church of Sweden (the Lutheran, former state church of Sweden), with its seat at Skara in Västergötland. ... Skara is a Municipality in Västra Götaland County, in western Sweden. ... Skara Cathedral Skara Cathedral (in Swedish: Skara domkyrka) is a church in the Swedish city of Skara. ... The Diocese of Skara is a diocese of the Church of Sweden (the Lutheran, former state church of Sweden), with its seat at Skara in Västergötland. ... The Diocese of Stockholm is a division of the Church of Sweden. ... The Old town in Stockholm from the air (help· info) is the capital of Sweden, located on the east coast at the entrance of lake Mälaren. ... Storkyrkan (also known as The Great Church or Stockholm Cathedral) is the cathedral of Stockholm. ... The Diocese of Strängnäs is a division of the Church of Sweden. ... Strängnäs is a Municipality in Södermanland County, in central Sweden, located by Lake Mälaren. ... The Diocese of Visby is a division of the Church of Sweden. ... Visby is a city on the island Gotland of Sweden. ... The Diocese of VästerÃ¥s is a division of the Church of Sweden. ... VästerÃ¥s [vÉ›stÉ™roːs] is a city in central Sweden, located on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province Västmanland, some 100 km west of Stockholm. ... The Diocese of Växjö is one of the 13 dioceses or regional units of the Lutheran Church of Sweden. ... Växjö [] (56°52′N 14°48′E) is a Swedish city in SmÃ¥land in southern Sweden. ...

See also

• Church of Sweden Parishes
• List of cathedrals
• Archbishop of Uppsala

This is a list of cathedrals around the world, including both actual cathedrals (seats of bishops in episcopal denominations, such as Catholicism, Anglicanism, and Orthodoxy) and a few prominent churches from non-episcopal denominations that have the word cathedral in their names. ... The Patriarchal cross The Archbishops Palace in Uppsala, designed in the 18th century by the architect Carl HÃ¥rleman, but built on older foundations. ...

References

• B. Gustafsson, Svensk kyrkohistoria, 1983. In Swedish

External links

• Church of Sweden - Official site