The cathedral dates to the late 13th century and, at a height of 118.7 metres (389 ft), it is the tallest church in the Nordic countries.

[3] After the cathedral in Gamla Uppsala was damaged by fire in 1204, the Chapter sought permission from the Holy See to move the building to a larger site.

At a meeting in Söderköping in September 1270, Archbishop Fulco Angelus and the cathedral chapter decided the site should be in Östra Aros.

It was constructed on the site of the earlier stone church dedicated to the Holy Trinity, located almost exactly where the cathedral's chancel now stands.

[6] The church was designed by French architects although the name of the author of the detailed initial plans who supervised work until 1281 has not been recorded.

In 1287, a promissory note drawn up by the provost of Paris covers the expenses to be incurred by master builder Étienne de Bonneuil and his assistants in travelling to Sweden to work on the construction of a cathedral at Uppsala.

[6] It was not until the end of the 14th century that work on the initial plans was completed, thanks in particular to the contribution of the master builder Nikolaus från Västerås who began construction of the nave.

[9] Although there are no documentary records of the consecration, there are several references from the same period to the cathedral's chapels, including their altars which were dedicated to the Holy Cross, to the Virgin Mary or to other saints.

[citation needed] He also added pointed French spires to the towers, bringing the cathedral up to a height of 118.7 m (389 ft), so making it as high as it was long.

[6] In an attempt to give the cathedral a slimmer appearance, Zettervall significantly altered large portions of the medieval outer brick walls and removed the decorative white-washed 'blind windows' on the gables which had been similar to those on the nearby Holy Trinity Church.

Further renovation work in the early 1970s led to improvements in the building's structure and included restoration of the walls and windows.

Large portions of cement additions by Zettervall to the exterior structure of the cathedral were removed decades later as they adversely affected the building's fabric.

[6] In 1989, Pope John Paul II took part in an ecumenical service in Uppsala Cathedral with Archbishop Bertil Werkström.

Built high on a gravel ridge southwest of the River Fyris, its Latin cross ground plan consists of a three-aisled basilica (a central nave flanked by two lateral aisles) with single-aisle transepts, and a four-bay chancel with an ambulatory surrounded by five chapels.

The principal material is red brick but the cathedral was built on a stone foundation and the chancel pillars and many details are of Gotland limestone.

[6] (The nave pillars were originally of brick but were replaced with limestone as part of the restoration work carried out under Helgo Zettervall from 1885 to 1893.

The turret and pinnacles which can be seen in older drawings were added as well as the first spires on the west towers which were designed by Antonius Watz.

In the 1690s, Nicodemus Tessin designed a new burial chapel to the east of the south transept, the most significant alteration to the plan of the cathedral since the Middle Ages.

From the outside, his design respected the traditions of medieval architecture with tall Gothic windows but the interior was decorated in Tessin's usual Classical Baroque style.

[4] In the 17th century, the towers were redesigned in the Dutch Renaissance style[19] but after the serious fire of 1702 they were temporarily replaced by low wooden tops.

While the chancel and the transept are clearly of French design, the nave which was built somewhat later displays German and Swedish characteristics.

Work on the western end of the building began in 1431 with the construction of the west portal which was influenced by the style of Vadstena Abbey.

[24] At the end of the 16th century, the church's sacristy was converted into a burial chapel for Queen Catherine Jagiellon or Katarina Jagiellonica, the wife of King John III, who is also entombed there.

[26] Located in the north tower, the cathedral Treasury Museum displays a number of gold and silver articles used in the religious services.

Decorations include John the Baptist preaching in the desert, Saint Paul in Athens and the parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard.

[30] In the Vasa Chapel, there are seven large fresco paintings executed by Johan Gustaf Sandberg (1782–1854) over a period of several years.

[32] Initially, as in some of the continental cathedrals, the interior was decorated with designs emphasizing the arch ribs and portal components.

In the 15th century, frescos of figures in the Late Gothic style with decorative vine leaves were painted in various parts of the church.

The Uppsala Judensau is likely the work of a travelling German artist, given the popularity of the antisemitic motif in German-speaking lands.