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35-541: The mound was excavated by Nicolay Nicolaysen in 1880. The Gokstad Ship was constructed around 890 and was laid in the mound around ten years later. It mainly consists of oak and has a length of 23.8 meters (78 ft.) and width of 5.2 meters (17 ft.). It had 16 pairs of oars and its top speed is estimated as twelve knots. The Gokstad Ship is now located at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. Buried along with

70-596: A blue background, while those on the south side of the church depict scenes from the New Testament against a red background. Two organs are installed in the cathedral. The main organ was built by the Steinmeyer firm in 1930, and was erected in the north transept. It then had 125 stops. Installation of the Steinmeyer organ was commissioned in 1930 for the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Stiklestad . The organ

105-454: A forearm, it was given by Queen Josephine to St. Olav Catholic Cathedral in Oslo. The original reliquary casket was in the form of a church, with dragon heads on its gables. The dragons are similar to those carved on the gables of Norwegian stave churches . Surviving medieval reliquary caskets in Norway frequently also bear such dragon heads, for instance, that at Heddal Stave Church . He was

140-437: A gaming board with counters of horn, fishing hooks, harness fittings (made of lead, iron and gilded bronze), 64 shields, kitchen utensils, six beds, a sleigh, as well as three smaller boats. Also found in the grave were two peacocks, two goshawks, eight dogs and twelve horses. The burial chamber was covered by layers of birch bark, and remnants of silk interwoven with gold thread have been discovered by archeologists stuck between

175-602: A major reconstruction starting in 1869 and completed in 2001. In 1152, the church was designated as the cathedral for the Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros. In 1537, during the Protestant Reformation , it became part of the newly established state Church of Norway . It is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world. The cathedral is the main church for the Nidaros og Vår Frue parish ,

210-554: A stylistic form which has subsequently become known as the Borre style . Many of the artefacts recovered during these excavations are presently on display at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo . Nicolaysen also carried out excavations of Munkeliv Abbey located at Nordnes in Bergen in 1857 and 1860. Here, well-crafted structural fragments were recovered. These can be found on display in

245-513: A year later by Grimketel , the Bishop of Nidaros (the canonization was later confirmed by the pope ). Around 1070, King Olav Kyrre , who was St. Olav's nephew, began building a large stone church on the site where the wooden church had stood. It was dedicated to the Holy Trinity but was commonly called Kristkirken (an earlier term for cathedral). The altar in this church was to be placed over

280-571: Is an ongoing process. The oldest parts of the cathedral consist of the octagon with its surrounding ambulatory . This was the site of the original high altar, with the reliquary casket of Saint Olav , and choir. Design of the octagon may have been inspired by the Corona of Canterbury Cathedral , although octagonal shrines have a long history in Christian architecture. Similarly, the choir shows English influence, and appears to have been modeled after

315-425: Is located at a gallery in the north transept. Today, the cathedral is a popular tourist attraction . Nidaros Cathedral is the site of the observation of Olav's Wake ( Norwegian : Olavsvaka ). This religious and cultural festival is centered upon the anniversary of the death of Saint Olav at the Battle of Stiklestad . Tourists often follow the historic Pilgrim's Route ( Norwegian : Pilegrimsleden ) to visit

350-606: The 13th century, but its outline can be seen in the ground plan: as was often the case in the Middle Ages, the later walls were built on the old foundations to save time and costs. During the restoration in the late 19th century, these foundations were excavated and measured, providing some knowledge of the church's architecture. It was designated the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros from its establishment in 1152 until its abolition in 1537 under

385-514: The Angel Choir of Lincoln Cathedral . It is joined to the octagon by a stone screen that fills the entire east side of the choir. The principal arch of this screen is subdivided into three subsidiary arches: the central arch frames a statue of Christ the Teacher , standing on the top of a central arch of three subsidiary arches below him. The space above the principal arch, corresponding to

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420-528: The Gokstad Mound a World Heritage Site . The mound was in 1880 measured as 50 meters (164 ft.) in diameter, with a height of 5 meters (16.4 ft.). The ocean water levels were significantly higher during the Viking Age , when the ocean stood nearly 4 meters (13 ft.) higher than today. It is therefore estimated that the ship was buried near the sea. Artifacts found in the grave include

455-577: The Museum of Cultural History ( Kulturhistorisk Museum ), part of Bergen Museum , and include a marble head of 12th-century Norwegian monarch Øystein Magnusson . The first excavations of the Kaupang area were undertaken in 1867. Nicolaysen mapped one of the mound cemeteries around the former town, and he excavated 79 burial mounds. He did not, however, investigate the urban settlement associated with

490-712: The Reformation. Since the Reformation , it has served as the cathedral of the Lutheran bishops of Trondheim (or Nidaros) in the Diocese of Nidaros . The architectural style of the cathedral is Romanesque and Gothic . Historically it has been an important destination for pilgrims coming from all of Northern Europe . In 1814, this church served as an election church ( Norwegian : valgkirke ). Together with more than 300 other parish churches across Norway, it

525-715: The University of Christiania now (University of Oslo) and became cand.jur. in 1841. In 1845 he was employed as a copyist in the Ministry of Audit and in 1858 an assistant at the National Archives ( Riksarkivet ). In 1851, Nicolay Nicolaysen was a founding member of the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments , of which he was president from 1851 to 1899. He also took active part in

560-427: The burial chamber are displayed in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo . In 1861, he married Anne Thue Christie (1831–1928). They were the parents of physician Lyder Wentzel Christie Nicolaysen (1866–1927). Nicolay Nicolaysen died during 1911 at Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. Nidaros Cathedral Nidaros Cathedral ( Norwegian : Nidarosdomen / Nidaros Domkirke ) is a Church of Norway cathedral located in

595-408: The cathedral for this and other events. The cathedral is also familiar to enthusiasts of Norwegian black metal , as it is featured on the cover artwork of De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas , the 1994 studio album by Mayhem . It was rumored that members of the band who had already been associated with the burnings of other Christian churches in Norway had planned to destroy the cathedral in relation to

630-415: The cathedral is part of the Nidaros og Vår Frue parish in the Nidaros deanery in the Diocese of Nidaros . Work on the cathedral as a memorial to St. Olav started in 1070. It was finished some time around 1300, nearly 150 years after being established as the cathedral of the diocese. The cathedral was badly damaged by fires in 1327 and again in 1531. The nave was destroyed and was not rebuilt until

665-573: The cemeteries. Later excavations indicate that Kaupang was one of the first urban settlements of some significance in Norway. Nicolay Nicolaysen is perhaps most famous for excavating the Gokstad ship burial ( Gokstadfunnet ) at Gokstad farm in Sandar , Sandefjord , Vestfold in 1880. Currently the Gokstad ship ( Gokstadskipet ), together with a burial chamber, two small boats and two tent boards from

700-441: The church's and the kingdom's patron saint. The current altar was designed to recall in marble sculpture the essential form of this reliquary casket. It replaces the previous baroque altar, which was transferred to Vår Frue Church . The second altar is in the crossing, where the transept intersects the nave and the chancel. It bears a large modern silver crucifix . It was commissioned and paid for by Norwegian American emigrants in

735-506: The city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county. It is built over the burial site of King Olav II (c. 995–1030, reigned 1015–1028), who became the patron saint of the nation, and is the traditional location for the consecration of new kings of Norway . It was built over a 230-year period, from 1070 to 1300 when it was substantially completed. However additional work, additions and renovations have continued intermittently since then, including

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770-468: The early twentieth century, and the design was inspired by the memory of a similar silver crucifix in the medieval church. The medieval chapter house may also be used as a chapel for smaller groups of worshipers. All the stained glass in the cathedral dates from its rebuilding in the 19th and 20th centuries. The windows on the north side of the church depict scenes from the Old Testament against

805-426: The east end of the chancel in the octagon is an altar at the site of the medieval high altar, behind which stood the silver reliquary casket containing the remains of St. Olav . This silver-gilt reliquary casket was melted down for coinage by Christian II and St. Olav's remains buried in an unknown location under the cathedral. The only relic known to have survived is a femur in a silver-gilt reliquary. Shaped as

840-697: The fence. On the official opening ceremony on July 20, 1929, between 2,000 and 3,000 spectators showed up to observe the ceremony. King Haakon VII was also present, along with Norway's Minister of Church Affairs, the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage , the mayors of Vestfold County, and others. King Haakon VII also held a speech during the official opening ceremony, which took place on July 28, 1929. Gokstadhaugen has been described as one of Norway's finest archeological finds. The government of Norway applied to UNESCO in January 2014 to make

875-433: The grave, and when the church was completed around 1090, St. Olav's shrine was moved here and placed over the altar. In this church, almost all Norwegian royals of the 11th and 12th centuries were buried. Kristkirken was about 50 meters long with a choir, nave, and west tower, and it was the largest church in Norway at the time. Nothing of Olav Kyrre's church is visible today. It was gradually replaced by new building parts in

910-401: The logs in the roof. These are possibly the remnants of a lavish woven tapestry that decorated inside walls. Dendrochronological studies prove the ship was constructed between years 885–892 AD. The burial chamber is dated to 895–903 AD. The buried chieftain was estimated to be 181–183 cm tall (5'9"–6'0"), and was killed around age 40 during a battle. The ship was discovered in 1879, and

945-404: The restoration in early 1900s. In 1708, the church burned down completely except for the stone walls. It was struck by lightning in 1719, and was again ravaged by fire. Major rebuilding and restoration of the cathedral started in 1869, initially led by architect Heinrich Ernst Schirmer , and nearly completed by Christian Christie . It was officially completed in 2001. Maintenance of the cathedral

980-894: The restoration of the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim and of the Hall of Haakon IV ( Håkonshallen ) in Bergen. He was active in the founding the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design ( Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design ) and was a proponent of the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry . In 1852, Nicolaysen led the first investigations at the Borre mound cemetery ( Borrehaugene ) at Horten , Vestfold . The excavations uncovered an extensive selection of craft work of

1015-523: The seat of the Nidaros domprosti (arch- deanery ), and the seat of the Bishop of the Diocese of Nidaros . The Preses of the Church of Norway is also based at this cathedral. The church seats about 1,850 people. Nidaros Cathedral was built beginning in 1070 to memorialize the burial place of Olav II of Norway , the king who was killed in 1030 in the Battle of Stiklestad . He was canonized as Saint Olav

1050-505: The ship was a petty king long believed to have been Olaf Geirstad-Alf , half-brother of Halfdan the Black . However, recent discoveries have increased uncertainty and it, therefore, remains unknown what chieftain was buried at the mound. After two years of restoration work, Kongshaugen was dedicated in July 1929. A small stone fence was raised around the mound and birch trees were planted along

1085-633: The vault of the choir, contains a crucifix by the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland , placed between statues of the Virgin Mary and the Apostle John . Built into the south side of the ambulatory is a small well. A bucket could be lowered to draw up water drawn from the spring that originated from St. Olav's original burial place. (This was covered over by the construction of later cathedrals). The present cathedral has two principal altars. At

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1120-434: Was a Norwegian archaeologist and Norway's first state employed antiquarian . He is perhaps best known for his excavations of the ship burial at Gokstad in 1880. Nicolay Nicolaysen was born in Bergen to merchant and bank administrator Lyder Wentzel Nicolaysen (1794–1876) and Sophia Susanna Siewers (1797–1826). He was the half-brother of professor of medicine Julius Nicolaysen (1831–1909). Nicolaysen graduated from

1155-525: Was a polling station for elections to the 1814 Norwegian Constituent Assembly which wrote the Constitution of Norway . This was Norway's first national elections. Each church parish was a constituency that elected people called "electors" who later met together in each county to elect the representatives for the assembly that was to meet in Eidsvoll later that year. Along with Vår Frue Church ,

1190-576: Was excavated by Nicolay Nicolaysen between April–June 1880. The mound was closed and the chieftain's knuckles were returned to the grave site on June 16, 1928. The knuckles were put in a sarcophagus , and King Haakon VII was present at the official opening of the restored mound on July 29, 1929. The sarcophagus was brought out of the grave by archeologists in 2007, and is currently kept at the University of Oslo (UiO). Nicolay Nicolaysen Nicolay Nicolaysen (14 January 1817 - 22 January 1911)

1225-461: Was funded mostly by donations, particularly by Elias Anton Cappelen Smith . In 1962, the organ was heavily rebuilt and moved to the west nave. Many stops were removed; some of them were used to build a new choir organ. This organ was fully restored in 2014. The old Baroque organ built by noted German organ builder Joachim Wagner (1690–1749) during the period 1738–40 was carefully restored by Jürgen Ahrend between 1993 and 1994. It has 30 stops and

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