Nidaros Cathedral
Encyclopedia
Nidaros Cathedral is a Church of Norway
cathedral
located in the city of Trondheim
in Sør-Trøndelag
county, Norway
. It was the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros
from its establishment in 1152 until its abolition in 1537. Since the Reformation
, it has been 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 was an important destination for pilgrim
s coming from all of Northern Europe
. It is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world.
Along with Vår Frue Church
, the cathedral is part of the Nidaros og Vår Frue parish
in the Nidaros deanery
in the Diocese of Nidaros
.
west of the transept
was destroyed and was not rebuilt until the restoration in early 1900s. In 1708 it 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 is an ongoing process.
The oldest parts of the cathedral consist of the octagon with its surrounding ambulatory
in which was the original high altar with the reliquary casket of St. Olav and choir. The original inspiration for this octagon may have been the Corona of Canterbury Cathedral
, although octagonal shrines have a long history in Christian architecture. The choir itself appears to have been inspired by the Angel Choir of Lincoln Cathedral
and 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 subsiderary arches the central arch framing a statue of Christ the Teacher standing on the top of a central arch of three further subsiderary arches below him. The space above the principal arch and corresponding to the vault of the choir contains a crucifix
between statues of the Virgin Mary and the Apostle John by the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland
. Built into the north side of the ambulatory surrounding the octagon is a small well from which a bucket was could lowered to draw up water could be drawn from the spring that originated from St. Olav's original burial place beneath the later cathedrals.
The present cathedral has two principal altars. The one in the octagon at the east end of the chancel rests on the site of the medieval high altar which bore the silver reliquary
casket containing the remains of St. Olav, the church's and the kingdom's patron saint, and is designed to recall in marble sculpture the essential form of this reliquary casket. It replaces the previous baroque altar presently in Vår Frue Church
. The second altar is in the crossing where the transept intersect the nave and the chancel. It bears a large modern silver crucifix
inspired by the memory of a similar silver crucifix in the medieval church and was commissioned and paid for by Norwegian American emigrants in the early twentieth century. The medieval chapter house
may also be used as a chapel for smaller groups of worshippers.
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 depicts scenes from the Old Testament against a blue background, while those on the south side of the church depict scenes from the New Testament against a red background.
s 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 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.
The old Baroque organ built by Johann Joachim Wagner in 1738-1740 was carefully restored by Jürgen Ahrend
between 1993-1994. It has 30 stops and is located at a gallery in the north transept.
. Tourists often follow the historical pilgrim routes to visit the spectacular church. It is also featured on the cover of black metal
band Mayhem
's album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
.
Church of Norway
The Church of Norway is the state church of Norway, established after the Lutheran reformation in Denmark-Norway in 1536-1537 broke the ties to the Holy See. The church confesses the Lutheran Christian faith...
cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
located in the city of Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
in Sør-Trøndelag
Sør-Trøndelag
- References :...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It was the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros
Archdiocese of Nidaros
The Archdiocese of Nidaros was the metropolitan see covering Norway in the later Middle Ages. The see was the Nidaros Cathedral, in the city of Nidaros...
from its establishment in 1152 until its abolition in 1537. Since the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, it has been the cathedral of the Lutheran bishops of Trondheim (or Nidaros) in the Diocese of Nidaros
Diocese of Nidaros
Nidaros is a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Norway. It covers Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag counties and its cathedral city is Trondheim, which houses the well-known Nidaros Cathedral. The diocese is divided into 12 deaneries . Finn Wagle was the bishop from 1991 to 2008...
. The architectural style of the cathedral is Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
and Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
. Historically it was an important destination for pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
s coming from all of Northern Europe
Northern Europe
Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
. It is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world.
Along with Vår Frue Church
Vår Frue Church
Vår Frue Church is a parish church in the municipality of Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the Midtbyen area of Trondheim, just a few blocks north of the Nidaros Cathedral....
, the cathedral is part of the Nidaros og Vår Frue parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
in the Nidaros deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
in the Diocese of Nidaros
Diocese of Nidaros
Nidaros is a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Norway. It covers Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag counties and its cathedral city is Trondheim, which houses the well-known Nidaros Cathedral. The diocese is divided into 12 deaneries . Finn Wagle was the bishop from 1991 to 2008...
.
Building and restoration
Work on the cathedral started in 1070 and was finished sometime around 1300. The cathedral was badly damaged by fires in 1327 and again in 1531. The naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
west of the transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
was destroyed and was not rebuilt until the restoration in early 1900s. In 1708 it 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
Heinrich Ernst Schirmer
Heinrich Ernst Schirmer was German-born architect most noted for his work in Norway.Schirmer worked in Norway from 1838 to 1883 and put his mark on a number of public buildings...
, and nearly completed by Christian Christie
Christian Christie
Eilert Christian Brodtkorb Christie was a Norwegian architect.-Personal life:He was born in Bergen as a son of customs officer Werner Hosewinckel Christie and Hansine Langsted...
. It was officially completed in 2001. Maintenance of the cathedral is an ongoing process.
The oldest parts of the cathedral consist of the octagon with its surrounding ambulatory
Ambulatory
The ambulatory is the covered passage around a cloister. The term is sometimes applied to the procession way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar....
in which was the original high altar with the reliquary casket of St. Olav and choir. The original inspiration for this octagon may have been the Corona of Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....
, although octagonal shrines have a long history in Christian architecture. The choir itself appears to have been inspired by the Angel Choir of Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...
and 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 subsiderary arches the central arch framing a statue of Christ the Teacher standing on the top of a central arch of three further subsiderary arches below him. The space above the principal arch and corresponding to the vault of the choir contains a crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
between statues of the Virgin Mary and the Apostle John by the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland
Gustav Vigeland
Gustav Vigeland was a Norwegian sculptor. Gustav Vigeland occupies a special position among Norwegian sculptors, both in the power of his creative imagination and in his productivity. He is most associated with Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo...
. Built into the north side of the ambulatory surrounding the octagon is a small well from which a bucket was could lowered to draw up water could be drawn from the spring that originated from St. Olav's original burial place beneath the later cathedrals.
The present cathedral has two principal altars. The one in the octagon at the east end of the chancel rests on the site of the medieval high altar which bore the silver reliquary
Reliquary
A reliquary is a container for relics. These may be the physical remains of saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with saints or other religious figures...
casket containing the remains of St. Olav, the church's and the kingdom's patron saint, and is designed to recall in marble sculpture the essential form of this reliquary casket. It replaces the previous baroque altar presently in Vår Frue Church
Vår Frue Church
Vår Frue Church is a parish church in the municipality of Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the Midtbyen area of Trondheim, just a few blocks north of the Nidaros Cathedral....
. The second altar is in the crossing where the transept intersect the nave and the chancel. It bears a large modern silver crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
inspired by the memory of a similar silver crucifix in the medieval church and was commissioned and paid for by Norwegian American emigrants in the early twentieth century. The medieval chapter house
Chapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....
may also be used as a chapel for smaller groups of worshippers.
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 depicts scenes from the Old Testament against a blue background, while those on the south side of the church depict scenes from the New Testament against a red background.
Organs
Two organPipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
s 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
Battle of Stiklestad
The Battle of Stiklestad in 1030 is one of the most famous battles in the history of Norway. In this battle, King Olaf II of Norway was killed. He was later canonized...
. The organ was funded mostly by donations, particularly by Elias Anton Cappelen Smith
Elias Anton Cappelen Smith
Elias Anton Cappelen Smith was a Norwegian American civil engineer and metallurgist, who pioneered copper production in the early 20th century. Among his achievements were the Peirce-Smith converter process and the Guggenheim process.-Background:Cappelen Smith was born in Trondheim in...
. 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.
The old Baroque organ built by Johann Joachim Wagner in 1738-1740 was carefully restored by Jürgen Ahrend
Jürgen Ahrend
Jürgen Ahrend is a German organ builder famous for restoring instruments such as the Rysum organ and the Arp Schnitger organ in St. Jacobi, Hamburg as well as building original instruments...
between 1993-1994. It has 30 stops and is located at a gallery in the north transept.
At present
Today, the cathedral is a popular tourist attractionTourist attraction
A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
. Tourists often follow the historical pilgrim routes to visit the spectacular church. It is also featured on the cover of black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
band Mayhem
Mayhem (band)
Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway and regarded as one of the pioneers of the influential Norwegian black metal scene...
's album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is an album by Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Songwriting began as early as 1987, but due to the suicide of vocalist Dead and murder of guitarist Euronymous , the album's release was delayed until May 1994...
.
Choirs
- Nidaros Cathedral Choir
- Nidaros Cathedral Boys' ChoirNidaros Cathedral Boys' ChoirThe Nidaros Cathedral Boys' Choir is a Norwegian choir in Trondheim, consisting of 76 boys and men as of spring 2008. It represents a tradition of boy and men cathedral choristers in Nidaros Cathedral stretching back almost 900 years...
- Nidaros Cathedral Girls' Choir
- Schola Sancta Sunnivae
- Nidaros Vocalis
- Nidaros Oratory Choir