Nidaros Cathedral
The world's northernmost medieval cathedral, built over the grave of St Olav and a pilgrim goal.
Nidaros Cathedral stands over the burial place of King Olav Haraldsson, who fell at the battle of Stiklestad in 1030 and was declared a saint the following year. Building began about 1070, and the church grew through Romanesque and then Gothic campaigns until roughly 1300, when it reached the plan seen today. It became the seat of an archbishopric in 1152 and the goal of pilgrim routes from across northern Europe. It is the largest medieval building in Norway and the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world.
Fires and the Reformation left the church partly ruined, and a restoration begun in 1869 continued until 2001. The west front carries a screen of statues carved in the twentieth century, among them figures by Gustav Vigeland. Norwegian monarchs are consecrated here, and the crown regalia are displayed in the adjoining Archbishop's Palace, itself the oldest secular building in Scandinavia. Visitors may join guided tours, attend services and, in summer, climb the central tower.
Highlights
- Burial site of St Olav and the traditional goal of the St Olav pilgrim ways
- West front with a screen of sculpted figures and a large rose window
- Crown regalia on show in the neighbouring Archbishop's Palace
- Summer tower climb giving views over Trondheim
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