page_title: Storkyrkan
section_title: Saint George and the Dragon
hierarchical_section_title: Storkyrkan / Furnishings / Saint George and the Dragon
caption_attribution_description: English: A piece of art in the Storkyrkan church in Stockholm, Sweden.
context_page_description: Storkyrkan, also called Stockholms domkyrka, is the oldest church in Stockholm. Storkyrkan lies in the centre of Stockholm in Gamla stan, between Stockholm Palace and Stortorget, the old main square of Stockholm. It was inaugurated in 1306 but construction of the church probably started in the 13th century. Inside, Storkyrkan still maintains much of its late medieval appearance in the form of a hall church with a vaulted ceiling supported by brick pillars. The exterior of the church is however uniformly Baroque in appearance, the result of extensive changes made in the 18th century. During the Middle Ages, it was dedicated to Saint Nicholas, but after the Reformation in Sweden – in which the church played an important role as the place where Mass was celebrated in Swedish for the first time – it has been a Lutheran church, not formally dedicated to any saint. It currently serves as the seat of the Bishop of Stockholm within the Church of Sweden since the creation of the Diocese of Stockholm in 1942.
  Storkyrkan was for a long time the only parish church of Stockholm, and from an early date it was connected with the Swedish royal family.
context_section_description: North of the choir stands a large, late medieval equestrian statue depicting the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. It has been described as "the most impressive medieval piece of art" as well as "the most curious memorial" in Storkyrkan. The statue is around 3.5 metres (11 ft) tall and depicts the saint on horseback, fighting the dragon. A subsidiary group shows the princess that the saint is rescuing from the dragon, accompanied by the symbolic Lamb of God. The plinth is furthermore decorated with scenes from the legend of Saint George.
  It was commissioned by regent Sten Sture the Elder as a funerary monument for him and his wife, after his victory over Danish troops at the Battle of Brunkeberg in 1471. Sten Sture had prayed to the saint to protect the army during the battle. The sculpture was inaugurated in 1489. Saint George and the Dragon does not carry any signature, but is widely attributed to Bernt Notke, both on stylistic grounds and by deduction from archival sources. The sculpture has been interpreted, and was probably intended, as not only a religious work of art, but also as a political as well as a personal monument to Sten Sture and his victory over the Danish army.
caption: Saint George and the Dragon
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