The readjustment of Storkyrkan : A study of Holy Week and Easter in the Cathedral of Stockholm during the 2020 pandemic

In times of social distancing and restrictions, ecclesiological challenges arise for the church as a room that under normal circumstances gather people for services. When the church cannot be used the way it is intended to, it raises questions about the functions of the room. The new corona virus pandemic is a crisis that challenges our perception of the church buildings’ functions and aspects. This thesis is a case study that took place in the Cathedral of Stockholm, also called Storkyrkan, during Holy week and Easter. The purpose of this thesis is to study what ecclesiological implications this new reality has on how co-workers and visitors make use of the room. Through observation of the room and interviews of visitors and co-workers I identify five aspects of Storkyrkan that characterize what functions a church building can have during a crisis. The study finds that through the circumstantial changes of the usage of the room, the materiality of it is amplified. It also shows that many types of people visit and use the room in various ways. They are all connected as a collective in a network through the words, artifacts, music, and practises that are a part of this space. Instead of closing due to the pandemic, Storkyrkan was an open room which generated possibilities for people to use it. In times of social distancing, when people are encouraged to stay away from each other, the church brought people together, though in a much smaller number. This happened both in the physical room and in the virtual room online. These are all sources of lived ecclesiology, which is understood through people’s lives and actions