Chapel in the woods

Skogskapellet Cemetery Chapel, 1917-1920

When the cemeteries of Stockholm needed to be expanded in the early 20th century, an international architectural competition was launched for a new cemetery, with the intention of ensuring the artistic quality, dignity and harmony of the buildings and vegetation. This competition for the Woodland Cemetery in southern Stockholm, the so-called Skogskyrkogården, was won by Erik Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz with their proposal “Tallum”.
In 1920 the first part of the cemetery was completed and the modest Forest Chapel (Skogskapellet) by Erik Gunnar Asplund.
Contrary to contemporary expectations, the chapel is not high but low and intimate, and is not aligned with an axis, but embedded in the forest. The Skogskapellet is located within a sacred enclosure, surrounded by a low wall. The entrance to this churchyard-like area is a small porch, aligned with the entrance to the chapel.
The wooden chapel with its white walls is dominated by the large black roof.
The sheltering nature of the shingled roof is deliberately emphasized. Topped with a tree trunk on the ridge, the gutterless roof is reminiscent of a Viking house. This roof covers not only the chapel, but also the porch in front. The porch, intended for gatherings before and after a service, is almost square and takes up almost half the surface. The floor of the porch is paved with limestone, as is the interior of the building. The most prominent feature of the interior is the ceiling. The domed hemisphere is “hollowed out” by the hipped roof. A central skylight of circular shape lets in light from above.
Eight wooden columns are arranged in a ring and seem to support the dome. Some classical elements were used by Erik Gunnar Asplund. Particularly noteworthy are the wooden Doric columns with simple capitals. The twelve columns of the portico are intended to represent the twelve apostles. The building evokes the image of a simple cabin in the woods. The sculpture “The Angel of Death” by Carl Milles is positioned on the edge of the roof. The iron doors were designed by Asplund himself.

We recommend the architect's publication Mark Mayoni: Rethinking the landscape: the Cemetery in the Woods by Erik Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz