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| The dream of Olav | Olav is declared a saint after being exhumed |
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| Olav hands out pieces of silver before the battle | Click for a larger image of the Battle of Stiklestad. |
| Click for a larger image of the altar with the scenes from the Life of Saint Olaf, Trondheim Cathedral, Norway. | |
St. Olav
Born in the year of 995, Olav went on a long and dangerous Viking raid at the age of 12. Through his violent plundering and battles, Olav created mayhem in England, France and several other European countries.
Raiding in Europe, Olav became familiar with Christianity and was baptized in France in 1014. While brutally trying to Christianize and unify the Norwegian population, King Olav made many powerful enemies. As a result Olav was killed in the battle of Stiklestad, which is one of the most well-known battles in Norwegian history. His body was brought to Trondheim and he was buried on the shore of the river Nid. One year later, miraculous and inexplicable things happened to the King’s grave, and Olav was declared a Saint.
Nidaros Cathedral is built over the burial site of. St Olav – the Norwegian Viking King who became patron saint of Norway.
Source: Nidarosdomen & Erkebispegården
