900 years!

Worship services have been held for almost 900 years. When the bishop of Lund was elevated into archbishop of the Nordic countries, the work on the church that would become the Cathedral of Lund was intensified. Stone masons from the area around Rhen and from Italy were in charge of creating this mighty cathedral. The main altar in the crypt was consecrated in 1123 by Ascer, the first archbishop of Lund and in 1145; his successor Eskil consecrated the main cathedral building. Large sections of the cathedral were destroyed in a big fire in year 1234 and after this the vault in the central section was rebuilt.

Traces from Adam van Düren

During the 16th century the Cathedral was restored by the west-phalian stone mason, Adam van Düren, and his sculptured figures can be seen in several parts of the building, for instance in the large and well-preserved crypt. Here you can find a wall that has four sides carved by Master Adam in 1513-1514 and the sarkofag of the last archbishop, Birger Gunnarssen, carved in 1512. In the crypt one can also find two legendary figures made of stone. According to the saying, one of these is the builder of the church, named Finn, the giant. A more likely explanation is that the figure is representing Simon from the Bible.

Extensive renovations

During the 19th century, the Cathedral was renovated thoroughly, first by CG Brunius and then by Helgo Zettervall. The last renovation (1954-1964) was led by Eiler Gäaebe. Among the movable property, the two bronze statues from the 13th century are the oldest. A big candle stick from the late 15th century is located in the southern part of the cathedral. The finely carved oak choir stalls are from the middle of the 14th century; and the majestic altar dates from 1398. The choir stalls are in use still to this day. The return of Jesus Christ is the theme of the fine Absidens mosaic, made in the 1920´s by Joakim Skovgaard.

"Horologium mirabil Lundense"

Among the many attractions of the Cathedral, there is the magnificent horological artistic masterpiece, Horologium mirabil Lundense, dating from 1424. This early time and dating machine is still in working order with it rotating mechanical figures marking the passage of time. As I dulci jubilo is played, the three wise men enters and honours baby Jesus in the arms of Maria. The dating machine will show the different phases of the moon and where on the horizon the sun will rise and fall. One will also be able to tell on what day of the week a certain date will occur.

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