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The history of Nidaros Cathedral - step by step
Medieval cathedrals were the largest
construction projects of their day, and building them took
many years. Generations of craftsmen and artisans spent their
whole lives working on the Cathedral without ever seeing it
completed. For more than 450 years work was going on somewhere
on the Cathedral. Here you can trace the more than 900 years
of the Cathedral's history.
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Around 1035
The Cathedral's High Altar stands on the spot where ancient
tradition has it that St. Olav lay secretly buried for a year
following his death at the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030.
A small wooden chapel was built over the original burial site
shortly after Olav was declared a saint in 1031. |
Around 1090
Between 1070 and 1090 this small wooden chapel was replaced
by the first stone cathedral, built by King Olav the Gentle,
nephew of the saint. The church was dedicated to the Holy Trinity
and was commonly known as Christchurch. Christchurch was the
largest church in the country at the time, and was probably
built by English craftsmen. |
Second half of the 12th century
In 1151/53 Norway was elevated from the status of a bishopric
and Nidaros became the see at the centre of a large Norwegian
archbishopric. Nidaros was chosen in large part due to the enormous
popularity of St. Olav and the stream of pilgrims flocking to
his shrine which was placed above the high altar of Christchurch.
The two first archbishops, Jon and Øystein, initiated
a major construction programme to enlarge Christchurch. The
new sections were built in the Anglo-Norman Romanesque style
and many of the craftsmen were undoubtedly English, probably
from Lincoln. The transepts, the Chapter House and a small portion
of the nave were completed before construction work was stopped
when Archbishop Øystein was forced into exile in England
in 1180. |
Around 1220
During his three years in England the Archbishop learned about
new architectural trends. On his return in 1183 the building
programme was revised. Construction on a new eight-sided presbytery,
an octagon with a raised middle section, was started above the
saint's shrine. The octagon is more ornately decorated than
the older parts of the building. The style is Early Gothic,
and the ornamentation suggests that the craftsmen came from
western France, which was under the English Crown at the time.
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Around 1240
The octagon was completed about 1210-20, and work then commenced
on the construction of a new chancel replacing the remaining
part of Olav the Gentle's Christchurch. Completed in the 1240s,
this was the largest structure that had been built in Norway.
Built in Early English Gothic style, the chancel was sparsely
furnished with sculptures comparable to the octagon. |
Around 1300
Plans had been in the works for many decades to extend the nave
toward the west, and some work had actually been started on
it. When the chancel was completed, construction work was resumed
on the nave. Archbishop Sigurd laid the foundation stone for
the West Front in 1248. The western facade, flanked with two
towers, formed a continuous screening wall incorporating three
rows of sculptures. The nave also imitated English styles, particularly
from Lincoln Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Nonetheless, the
statues on the West Front clearly reveal a French influence,
particularly from the sculptures on the Reims Cathedral. The
nave was probably finished around 1300. |
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Around 1550
In 1328 the Cathedral was badly damaged by a fire in which the
entire wooden structure in the roof and the internal wooden
fixtures were destroyed. Major renovation work was then undertaken,
particularly in the octagon. Christchurch burned again in 1432
and perhaps also in 1451. As the church was by no means rich,
only the most necessary repairs were carried out. In 1531 a
fire ravaged the entire town of Trondheim, including the Cathedral,
and the damage was so extensive that drastic measures were required.
However, the Reformation was imminent, and the church's income
was greatly diminished. Thus only the chancel was rebuilt, albeit
quite modestly, and the large nave was left in ruins. |
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1708 - 1869
In 1708 the Cathedral burned down leaving only the walls standing.
Rebuilding had hardly been completed before the church was once
again ravaged by fire after being struck by lightning in 1719.
The rebuilding work was by no means extravagant, with only a
pyramidal roof capping the central tower, and a Baroque onion
dome capping the Octagon. The old medieval chapels were made
into burial chapels for well-off citizens. |
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1869 - 1969
The national awareness that had been growing throughout the
19th century brought with it the desire to rebuild the Cathedral
in Trondheim to its former medieval glory. This sentiment gained
acceptance, and restoration started in 1869. Construction work
was only initiated after years of collection and involved painstaking
reconstruction of the Cathedral's original Medieval elements.
Skilled artisans and artists were assembled, and we can see
their accomplishments today. When the West Front was rebuilt,
the restoration of most of the Cathedral reached completion
in 1969. The last statue was put in place in 1983. |
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