Sunday, July 29, 2012

Feast of Saint Olav Haraldsson

Edit:  It was St. Olav's single minded determination to eliminate paganism in his land and he strove so hard, that a sudden and powerful reaction rose up against him among the old clans and the rebels called upon the Danish King Cnute for aid.   St. Olaf was exiled to Kiev but returned with an army and died in battle shortly thereafter.

A Cathedral was built on his grave at Nidaros where he was canonized by Bishop Grimkell.

What St. Olaf failed to accomplish in life, he completed after his death.  His heroic Viking's death became a source of spiritual inspiration and his cult grew.

There's a pilgrimage site which is growing in popularity and a Catholic Confraternity associated with it.


The sainted King Olav Haraldsson was buried in Trondheim in 1030. Nidaros Cathedral was erected over his grave, and for four centuries this city was a pilgrimage site for pilgrims seeking consolation, help and healing.
The old Pilgrims' Route between Oslo and Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim was reopened the summer of 1997. Since then many pilgrims have wandered to this ancient pilgrimage site.
For further information, visit Pilgrims' ways to Nidaros and The confraternity of St. James in Norway.
From 1153 to 1537, Trondheim was the seat of the country's archbishop and the spiritual centre of an area including Greenland, the Faroe Islands, the Orkney Islands and the Isle of Man.
Today, Trondheim is a modern city that is a major centre of learning and one of the best research environments in Europe.

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