Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights
Nidaros Domkirke
CATHEDRAL
tower Nkr30;
9am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-2pm Sat, 9am-5pm Sun mid-Jun-mid-Aug, shorter hours rest
of year)
Nidaros Cathedral is Scandinavia's largest medieval building. Outside, the ornately embel-
lished, altar-like west wall has top-to-bottom statues of biblical characters and Norwegian
bishops and kings, sculpted in the early 20th century. Several are copies of medieval ori-
ginals, housed nowadays in the museum. Within, the cathedral is subtly lit (just see how
the vibrantly coloured, modern stained-glass glows, especially in the rose window at the
west end), so let your eyes attune to the gloom.
The altar sits over the original grave of St Olav, the Viking king who replaced the Nord-
ic pagan religion with Christianity. The original stone cathedral was built in 1153, when
Norway became a separate archbishopric. The current transept and chapter house were
constructed between 1130 and 1180 and reveal Anglo-Norman influences (many of the
craftsmen were brought in from England), while the Gothic choir and ambulatory were
completed in the early 14th century. The nave, repeatedly ravaged by fire across the cen-
turies, is mostly a faithful 19th-century reconstruction.
