SCANDINAVIA

N
GOTHIC
Abdullah Alshehri
201331810
ARC110

 Introduction

candinavia, region of N Europe. It consists of the

kingdoms of Sweden, Norway, and Denmark;
Finland and Iceland are usually considered part of
Scandinavia.1
Early History The Scandinavian countries are rich in
artifacts and objects of archaeological interest dating
from the end of the Ice
Age through the Bronze
Age, the Celtic and
Germanic Iron Ages, and
the Viking period.
Numerous fine examples
of early Scandinavian art
are in the collections of
the museums of
Copenhagen and
Stockholm.
The Early Christian
Period Church building became the principal artistic
activity when Scandinavia was Christianized in the 11th
century. The wooden stavkirke, a medieval church
decorated with grotesque figures, is unique to this
region; examples remain only in Norway, where it was
most prevalent. The cathedral at Lund, Sweden, begun in
1085, reveals Lombard influence; Gothic elements
predominate in the cathedrals of Linkping and Skara.
The island of Gotland produced numerous sculptural and
architectural masterworks of the Gothic period. The

cathedral at Trondheim, begun in the 12th century, bears

a resemblance to English Gothic architecture.2

Scandinavian gothic

othic it is an expression sometimes used to denote

in one general term, and distinguish from the
Antique, those peculiar modes or styles in which
most of our ecclesiastical and many of our domestic
edifices of the middle ages have been built. In a more
confined sense, it comprehends those styles only in
which the pointed arch predominates, and it is then often
used to distinguish such from the more ancient AngloSaxon and Norman styles.3
The earlier Gothic in Sweden was definitely French in
origin and stone built4 then in the fifteenth century they
built more in brick5.Finland was considerably influenced
by work in Sweden, and much of the portable sculpture
derived from Sweden. The country churches are
important for their excellently preserved schemes of
painted decoration Norway, separated from Sweden by
almost impassable ranges of mountains, and in the
Middle Ages depending upon sea transport from fiord to
fiord, naturally derived its art from its nearest maritime
neighbours in Britain5

There are in fact at least three main zones across

Scandinavia, each with its own Gothic.
In the north, covering Norway and the Isles, English
influence is so strong that much of the stone building is

practically a transplantation. But here the wooden

mastchurches preserve an older native tradition which
had some effect on masonry buildings in transferring to
them a spiky sharpness of outline.
In the south, across Denmark, Scania (the southern tip
of present Sweden which belonged to Denmark), up the
eastern side of Sweden, and in Finland, there ruled during
the later Middle Ages the Baltic brick Gothic; sometimes
directly transplanted by German architects, in other
cases native.
Between the two extremes was an area of mixed
currents from England, France and Germany, gradually
tending towards a national Swedish art4
Examples of Scandinavian gothic

he examples will be dived to the three main zones of

gothic across Scandinavia

The north (Norway and the Isles)

o Trondhjem Cathedral
The south (Denmark, Scania, eastern side of Sweden,
Finland)
o Roskilde Cathedral
Between the two extremes
o Uppsala Cathedral

Trondhjm Cathedral original

plan

Trondhjem
Cathedral

he plan of the original church, with central tower,

transepts with square projecting eastern chapels,
and clasping buttresses resembles that of St.
Magnus in Orkney and other cathedrals within the sphere
of Norse influence: Iona and Cashel. But in its later
developments it became almost wholly English and
highly eclectic, choosing plan and details from the best
and most recent sources. The west front with towers
outside the aisles, and the octagon east of the choir, give
the plan close similarity to Wells, while details and
shafting are derived from the work of Master Alexander
at Lincoln. There is probably also direct influence from St.
Albans, brought by Matthew Paris; his visit coincided with
a period of energetic work, and he was part icularly
concerned with the church affairs of Trondhjem. But the
most interesting of the English features are those of the
fourteenth century, introduced in the repairs after a fire

of 1328. These include

screens and triforium in
the octagon, and the great
screen at its entrance from
the choir.

Trondhjm Cathedral west

front
Trondhjm Cathedral
screen of octagon, after
1328. English detail of the
Canterbury school

Roskilde
Cathedral
Roskilde Cathedral was the
first Gothic cathedral in
Scandinavia constructed of red brick. It has been called
the 'most important ecclesiastical building built of red
brick in northern Europe. The Gothic cathedral was
finished by 1280, though its development was far from
over. Throughout generations steeples, towers and
chapels were added. Each had its own style, from the
Danish late Gothic 'porch' of Oluf Mortensen to the
stepped facade of the Dutch Renaissance Chapel of
Christian IV to the domed neo- classical Chapel of

Frederick V. 6

Roskilde Cathedral Floor Plan

Roskilde Cathedral. Side aisle

Roskilde Cathedral

Roskilde Cathedral West Front

Roskilde Cathedral - Sepulchre of Frederik V

Roskilde Cathedral the alter

 Uppsala Cathedral
The cathedral is the tallest
church building in Scandinavia.
Its height of 118.7 m is the
same as its length while it has a
breadth of 45 m. The height
inside is 27
Uppsala Cathedral plan
metres.
The church was designed in the
French High Gothic style by
French master builders including
tienne de Bonneuil. Built high
on a gravel ridge southwest of
the River Fyris, its Latin cross
ground plan consists of a threeaisled basilica (a central nave
flanked by two lateral aisles)
with single-aisle transepts, and a four-bay chancel with
an ambulatory surrounded by five chapels. The sevenbay nave is bordered by chantry chapels on either side.
most of the structure was built between 1270 and 1420
but the western end of the nave was completed only in
the middle of the 15th century while the towers took
decades more to complete. The principal material is red
brick but the cathedral was built on a stone foundation
and the chancel pillars and many details are of Gotland
limestone
The twin towers at the west end of the church were first
mentioned in 1563. Several additions to both the interior
and exterior of the church were made after a fire in 1572
under the leadership of Franciscus Pahr, known for his
work on castles. The turret and pinnacles which can be

seen in older drawings were added as well as the first

spires on the west towers which were designed by
Antonius Watz. In the 1690s, Nicodemus Tessin designed
a new burial chapel to the east of the south transept, the
most significant alteration to the plan of the cathedral
since the Middle Ages. From the outside, his design
respected the traditions of medieval architecture with tall
Gothic windows
In the 17th century, the towers were redesigned in the
Dutch Renaissance style but after the serious fire of
1702 they were temporarily replaced by low wooden
tops. At the same time, the
buttresses were removed
giving the cathedral the
rather plain look conveyed
by pictures of the period.
Only in 1740 were copperfaced spires installed,
designed by Carl
Hrleman. At the same
time, Hrleman carried out
significant work on the
west faade. Today's
towers are the work of
Helgo Zettervall who
completely rebuilt them in
the 1880s, substantially
increasing their height.
After the serious fire of
1702, the original flying buttresses were removed and a
higher roof was built.
Although the cathedral was designed by French
architects, it exhibits a number of differences from the

cathedrals of northern France. Above all, it is essentially

constructed of brick rather than stone. Brick could easily
be produced locally but stone had to be imported from
the distant quarries of Gotland. As bricks and mortar are
not as strong as stone, the walls had to be thicker
although the pillars needed to support the vaulted ceiling
of the chancel were made of limestone. The north
transept portal is also built of limestone, no doubt as it
was needed to support the rose window, also structured
in limestone itself. While the chancel and the transept are
clearly of French design, the nave which was built
somewhat later displays German and Swedish
characteristics. Constructed in about 1330, the rose
window over the northeast portal is still entirely French.
Nicolaus from Vsters, the Swede who directed work on
the nave from the 1360s, appears to have slightly
modified the original plans, adding confessional sidechapels and including a few features of German origin. It
is interesting to note that cross-vaults were nevertheless
installed, rather than star-shaped vaults which were more
common at the time. Work on the western end of the
building began in 1431 with the construction of the west
portal which was influenced by the style of Vadstena
Abbey. The towers, however, still exhibited features
typical of 13th-century French architecture, indicating
that the original plans were still in use at the time.
Overall, despite minor differences, Uppsala Cathedral still
reflects the style of the 13th-century cathedrals of
northern France.

Uppsala cathedral un the 17th century

Uppsala cathedral the dooms

Uppsala cathedral west front

 References
Elman, L. G. (2001, Summer). Roskilde Cathedral,
Marvel of the North. Scandinavian Review, 89(1), 55.
[6]

The Principles of Gothic Ecclesiastical Architecture,

Elucidated by Question and Answer, 4th ed.By
Matthew Holbeche Bloxam [3]

Harvey, J. (1950). The Gothic World, 1100-1600: A

Survey of Architecture and Art. London: B. T.
Batsford. [4][5]

Scandinavia. (2016). In The Columbia Encyclopedia

(6th ed.). The Columbia University Press. [1]

Scandinavian art and architecture. (2016). In The

Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). The Columbia
University Press. [2]

Wikipedia [7]