Diocesean Arms of the Church of Sweden

[Marcus Karlsson]

The Dioceses of the Church of Sweden mainly hails from the pre-reformation times with some later creation. The Church of Sweden is Lutheran in faith and episcopal in structure. Picture attribution Lokal_Profil on Wikimedia Commons.


Archdiocese of Uppsala, erected 1164. This Arms are known since 1290 from the seal of Archbishop Nils Allesson. Arms with Crosses are known to be common in what was then the outmarks of Christianity. The first Archbishop Stefan is also known to have recieved from the Pope fragments from the True Cross. The arms was reinstated at the 800 year celebration of the Archdiocese in 1964. Following the refomation it had som competition form a Picture of St. Erik the Patron of Sweden.


Diocese of Linköping, erected early 1100-reds. The Patron of the Cathedral are SS Peter and Paul and since 1250 the Keys of St Peter has feature in diocesean Seals. From the 1290ies combinded with a Crozier. St Peter was obviously deemed the more important as the Sword of St Paul was left out. The Colours was not officialy approved until 1962.


Diocese of Skara, erected 1070ies. This is the oldest of the Swedish Dioceses but diocesean arms are not known until a seal of Bishop Vincentius. This hails from 1510ies and shows a Palm frond a Crozier in saltire. When modern arms was created for the Diocese in 1969 this was however not used. Instead a seal for the Cathedral Chapter from 1480ies showing stars for St. Mary was used. St. Mary beeing Patron of the Cathedral. Orignaly the Swedish colours Azure and Or was used but this was later changed into the Marian colours of Azure and Argent.

[Marcus Karlsson]

Diocese of Strängnäs, erected begining of 12th Century. SS Peter and Paul are the Patrons of the Cathedral of Strängnäs. Since 1298 they feature in the diocesean seal. In the 15th Century the Soed and Key was placed on a Shield and the Arms was born. The Colurs Or and Azure are known from a Stole having belonged to Bishop Kort Rogge (1479-1501). Following the Reformation the Arms fell into disuse. It was reinstated 1962.


Diocese of Västerås, erected begining of 12th Century. The Lamb of God symbolising St John the Baptist one of the Patron (along with St. Mary) of the Cathedral of Västerås. Have been used in diocesean Seals from the 13th Century.
The Colours are known from Artwork dating from 1514 and still in existense. The modernday Arms was officialy approved in 1949.


Diocese of Växjö, erected 1163. The Arms are based on the oldest diocesean Seal from 1292. The Three Monks' heads are accoring to tradion the Heads of the Martyrs Unaman, Vinaman and Sunaman Sons of the Sister of Sigfrid Missionary Bishop in the Area. They where martyred by beheading. The modern Arms was approved in 1960.

[Chris Green]

I had better get the arms of my local diocese in quickly before Marcus gets to it!



Karlstad diocesan CoA dates only from 1961, though the diocese itself dates from the 17th century. The original Swedish blazon is: I blått fält en tvåtungad kyrkfana av silver, belagd med ett svävande rött grekiskt kors med utböjda ändar och hängande från en tvärstång av guld,, which translates approximately as Azure on a swallow-tailed church banner argent hanging from a cross-arm or a "floating" Greek cross with out-turned ends gules.

Question is - what is the real name for that cross? I have yet to find it in any of my heraldry books. The "svävande/floating" description is supposed to indicate that the cross does not reach the edges of the banner.

[Arthur Radburn]

Question is - what is the real name for that cross? I have yet to find it in any of my heraldry books. The "svävande/floating" description is supposed to indicate that the cross does not reach the edges of the banner.

It's similar to the cross of the Portuguese Order of Christ. I've seen this blazoned in English as "a cross the ends pattee".

[Marcus Karlsson]

Well the nearest "named" cross I can think of is the one in Swedish termed mantuansk kors (Mantuan Cross or Cross Pattee). But it is not 100% similar with the Cross in the Karlstad diocese arms.



The Diocese of Karlstad is one of the "younger" in the Church of Sweden it was created as the Superindententure of Mariestad in 1581, in 1647 the Superintendentur was moved from Mariestad to Karlstad. In 1772 the Superintendenture become a Diocese.


Diocese of Lund, erected 1060 made a Archdiocese for the whole of Scandianvia in 1104 (Even after the creation of Archdioceses in Nidaros (Trondheim) and Uppsala. Lund remained Primate). At the reformation in 1536 Lund was demoted to a regular Diocese, whose head at the begining was titled Superintendent. Title of Bishop restored in 1611. The Grill is the attribute of St Laurentius (Lawrence) Patron of the Diocese. The Grill in a Shield are known as the Arms of the Diocese since about the year 1500. Following the Reformation the diocesean Arms somewhat fell into dissuse. But since the 1960ies the Arms have come to be more used.


Diocese of Göteborg, erected as a Superintendenture in 1620 becoming a Diocese in 1665. The Eye of God in a Ray of Light is taken from the Modern Crozier of the Diocese. This was done on the suggestion of the then Bishop Bo Giertz.


Diocese of Härnösand. Erected in 1647 by separating the northern Parts of Sweden that until then was part of the Archdiocese of Uppsala. This Arms are based on the Seal showing the Name of God - in the Arms symbolised by the Triangle and Rays. The Constellation of the Corona Borealis (Northern Crown) alludes to the Script In Aquilone (= in the Northern Lands) also in the Seal. It was created by the heraldist Hans Schlyter, and adopted in 1976 by the then Bishop of Härnösand Bertil Werkström.


The older Arms of the Diocese of Härnösand. This was adopted in 1961 and essentialy have the same meaning as the 1976 Arms. The Triangle symbolises God and the Star the Northern Star for the northern location of the Diocese.

[Iain Boyd]

I have got to say that I prefer the older arms of the Diocese of Härnösand. I do not like the spikes sticking out from the sides of the triangle in the new arms!

Do you know why the arms were changed and does it happen often?

On this occasion, it appears to be on the whim of the incoming bishop!

Iain Boyd

[Marcus Karlsson]

Well Iain the rendention of the Arms are perhaps not that great, the spikes should be more like Rays.


Another intrepretation (not accoring to the Balzon where the Argent "Blurr" are not included) of the diocesean Arms in the Arms (I. and IV.) of the present Bishop Tuulikki Koivonen Bylund.


This is yet another interpretation this time accoring to the Balzon. Which is Swedish reades "I blått ett liksidigt triangulärt fält, från vars sidor strålknippen utgår, allt av guld och omgivet av en krans av sju femuddiga stjärnor av silver" roughly translated as "Azure a equilateral triangular field issuand from each side Rays Or, surrounded by a ring of seven fivepointed Stars Argent".

As for diocesean Arms changing this is very rare, Härnösand is indeed nearly alone, Skara are the other one. Where the Palmfrond and Crozier was not used in the modern Arms. Which also had is tinctures change to correspond to the Marian ones. As for the question why Härnösand changed Arms I'am not realy sure, but perhaps they wanted to correspond with other diocesean Arms that have undivided shields. This is only a guess from my side.

[Marcus Karlsson]

Diocese of Luleå. erected 1904 by separating the northern part of the Diocese of Härnösand. Luleå is thus the most northern of the Dioceses of the Church of Sweden. The Keys and Cross was used in the Seal from the Begining of the Diocese. It was made into a regular Arms in 1966. St. Peter beeing Patron of Luleå and the Keys are also found in the Arms of the city of Luleå. The tinctures are also from the City Arms.


Diocese of Visby, separated from the Diocese of Linköping in 1570. The Lamb of God was used in the Seal of the Cathedral Chapter from 1635. The modern Arms was adopted in 1964.


Diocese of Stockholm, erected in 1942. The Arms was created by the State Archives (which handles official heraldry) in 1962. As the area was part of the Archdiocese of Uppsala the Arms was based on those of the Archdiocese. The tinctures changed to the Azure and Or of Sweden. In the Canton was also placed the Head of St. Erik from the Arms of the City of Stockholm.

The Arms can be insigned by a Mitre and with a Crozier in bend sinister placed behind the Shield. Uppsala and Lund might also add a Cross in bend to the Crozier.