Uppsala University and the
Carolina Rediviva Library
Uppsala University's famous Carolina Rediviva Library is in the same neighbourhood as the
Domkyrka (Cathedral) which replaced Gamla Uppsala Kyrka as the primary church in Sweden.
There was much serious
Beowulf
business to get done that day. But I like old trees, and this
avenue of lindens (close cousins to the American Basswood) on the
Uppsala University campus were a tempting by-way I didn't have time to
explore.
The
Carolina Rediviva Library
is one of 19 branches of the Uppsala University Library system. It was
built to revive the ancient Academia Carolina library which had been
demolished in 1778 and not replaced. This building was completed in
1841, and houses an impressive collection of very old, important books
and documents.
Among the many priceless treasures at the Carolina Rediviva are the
Carta Marina of Olaus Magnus (1490-1557), the first large-scale map of any European region, and the
Codex Argenteus
or Silver Bible, biblical texts translated into Gothic by Bishop Ulfilas
around 360 CE. It's the earliest book in a Germanic
language, and has been called the most
valuable book in Europe. It was stamped in gold and silver letters on
purple vellum
about 520 (around the time of the Geats' disastrous raid on the
Franks!). Also of interest to the
Beowulf pilgrim, the Carolina has the
Uppsala-Eddan, a manuscript of Snorri Sturluson'a
Edda dated about 1300.
I looked in the Library's main catalogue to see what resources they had for the
Beowulf pilgrim. They had enough to keep a scholar busy for quite a few months.
This
nearby building (left), known as the Skytteanum, dates back to the
middle ages, and is named after the man who donated it in 1622. It's
the residence of the professor who sits in the Skytte Chair, known as
the Professor Skytteanus.
Uppsala Domkyrka (Cathedral)
Across the street from the Carolina Rediviva is magnificent Uppsala Cathedral.
This
is Sweden's largest church. It was founded around 1270 and dedicated in
1435. Its spires can be seen from the mounds at
Gamla Uppsala.
For a virtual tour of this building, go to the Cathedral's web site and click on
"The Building".
The ornate pulpit (below left) is 300 years old, and the largest in Sweden.
The vaulted ceiling over the nave (left) soars to 27 meters (90 feet) above the floor.
Many
Swedish monarchs have been crowned here. Many famous Swedes, ancient to
recent, are associated with the Cathedral. One is Dag Hammarskold, who
is buried in the graveyard here.
Music's
an important component of Cathedral activity. There are three organs,
and a fourth is planned. There's a big cathedral choir, a girls'
choir, a boys' choir, a choir school (schola cantorum) and an adult
chamber choir. No wonder they need all those organs! You can find out
more about Uppsala Cathedral music by going to their web site and
clicking on
"Church Music".Gamla Uppsala Kyrka, Uppsala Cathedral's Predecessor
This
12th-century building was the first cathedral in Uppsala. After the
transept was damaged by fire, a new cathedral was built in a nearby
town which was then renamed Uppsala. This town thus became
Gamla (
"Old") Uppsala.
Many believe (and I think they're right) that the
church is built over, or very near, an ancient pagan sacrificial site.
Wooden remnants detected beneath it were thought to be from an
earlier church and two other buildings, one a viking hall.
Gamla Uppsala Kyrka is within a stone's throw of
Osthogen, the East Mound. It might have been a deliberate strategy to
establish this outpost of the new religion squarely in the heart of
pagan territory.
Personally
this church was much more to my liking than the present Cathedral,
lovely though that building is on the inside. This one has low, rounded
arches and "Romanesque" windows with very deep jambs because of the
thick walls. The day we were there was clear and warm, and
the sky seemed intensely blue. Blue light seemed to pour through the
south windows and emphasize the muted greys, greens and blues within. I
would never have decorated a building in these colours, yet they work beautifully.
The
sedge or grass motif used in picking out the curves in the arches and
vaulting seemed strange - perhaps it's commonplace in Sweden - but
lovely.
The reredos hanging at the East end (beneath the chandeliers above) has saints' portraits, including our axe-wielding saint,
Holy Olaf.
Below, this attractive instrument is (I think) what they call a positif or choir organ.
Looking
toward the West door (above left), we see an organ that's huge for the size of this
church. Below, in the close-up you can also get a better view of
the folksy but effective wall and ceiling decoration.
Just inside the West door lies the object below. The sign says it's an
ekkista, a chest made of a hollowed-out oak trunk.
Each
of the iron hasps had a lock which could be opened by only one
trustee. Thus to open the chest, all trustees had to be present, which
would lower the probabilities of pilferage.
I bet they left that stub on it to make it harder to roll anywhere.
Finally,
on leaving the church and heading towards the mounds, I noticed this
fine big tree (below). I had somehow got the impression from reading
guidebooks and looking at maps that the trees in this part of Sweden
were mostly coniferous.
I
was wrong. As you may have noticed, there are plenty of old-growth
deciduous trees in Uppland. I get the impression that Swedes appreciate trees more than we Canadians do.
This sturdy specimen is an ash, which happens to be the species of the sacred world-tree
Yggdrasil in Norse mythology, on which the Norse god Odin (aka
Wotan or
Woden) hung in order to get the knowledge of runes.
Probably just a coincidence.
Our next visit will be focussed on serious
Beowulf business, at the
Historiska Museet in Stockholm.
