Morning Tour of Trondheim and the Nidaros Cathedral

 November 15, 2022

Despite being already 7:00, it was still very dark when I made my way down the steel ramp in the Trondheim harbor and boarded the bus designated for those who speak English.  I managed to claim the front seat, which fortuitously had a place to put my cup of coffee I'd smuggled on board.  The cup, bearing the name, "MS Polarlys", is a petite thermal mug I'd purchased aboard that ship in 2019.

We drove through the quiet, darkened streets of town, then up to a high knoll above the city.  Here we got out and walked to a viewpoint, where our guide pointed out various landmarks, important buildings, rivers, and so on.  I think it would have made more sense in the daylight, but the dark was prettier, and made it more memorable.

To clarify, the dark made the experience more memorable, but I don't remember anything that our guide pointed out.

By the time we reached the world-renown Nidaros Cathedral, the sky was much lighter, but the weak northern light of early morning left the west-facing front in moody shadows.

The history of this magnificent stone edifice is long and daunting.  Our hour long tour, both inside and out provided interesting details on construction, and reconstruction, as well as legends, history and much more.  It was far too much for my brain to take in, so following the tour I popped over to the nearby visitor center and bought a book on the subject.  After reading it cover to cover, it's still not very clear.  I'll put down what I know. 

In the year 997AD, King Olav 1 Tryggvason founded the city of Trondheim and built the first church there.  His successor, King Olav II (Olaf Haraldsson), born in 995 AD, became a Christian while in England, at the young age of 12, on a Viking raid. He made it his short life's work to eradicate heathenism from Norway.  He served as king from 1015 to 1028.  In 1030, he died defending his faith in the battle at Stiklestad.  He was buried some miles from Trondheim.  A church was built at that site. 

Oystein Erlendsson was archbishop in the Nidaros diocese from 1157 to his death in 1188.  During this time of service he began the work of the Nidaros Cathedral.  Under his successors, work continued until it was completed in 1300.  Through the years, fires and wars destroyed various parts of the cathedral.  It was rebuilt multiple times, often with mismatched materials and styles.

The west-facing front of the cathedral contains 76 sculptures of both biblical persons and church saints.  As most of these were damaged, the current ones were recreated by Norwegian sculptures between 1908 and 1983.

According to the book I purchased, the plan was to have the façade depict the story of Christ and the redemption of man.  The whole piece is like a tree, with the trunk being Christ.  Directly above the entrance door is a representation of the crucifixion.

In the gable above the rose window, the Day of Judgement is portrayed in rather graphic detail.  I find it interesting that they put such effort into something that can scarcely be seen with the naked eye.  Binoculars would have been so helpful. 

On top of this peak, directly above the judgement sculpture is Mary and the Child Jesus.  This one seems the least realistic.  Possibly due to the cumbersome looking crown on Mary's head.

At the highest peak in the center is Christ Triumphant.  

There are 72 more sculptures arranged on the front of the building and towers.  They spread out from the center axis, like the branches of a tree.  Among them are giants of the faith, apostles, prophets and champions of Christianity, including in Norway.  Also many saints from throughout the ages. 

The cathedral was constructed in a cruciform design, or the shape of a cross as seen from above.  The Gothic choir forms the short top vertical of the cross, the nave the long upright, and the north and south transepts form the horizontal portions.  A 128 foot tower in the center ties it all together.  

Stepping inside the front door one is met with so much grandeur, with so many details, it's hard to take it all in.  Looking straight ahead is the nave that was completed and consecrated towards the end of the 13th century.  Beyond that is the Central Tower and the Gothic Choir.  Both of the latter were completed before the nave was built.

Looking back towards the west, you can see the rose window above the entrance door.

Below, the Gothic Choir, with the altar in the foreground.  On the altar is a large silver crucifix from 1930.

Behind the choir is a an octagonal shaped building with a spire, not surprisingly called, The Octagon.  I believe that this building was constructed even before the choir and nave.  It was built to house the shrine of St Olav.  Fact dances with fancy, and rumors and folk tales abound regarding the body of this Viking-turned-saint of eleventh century Norway.  About a year after his death his body needed to be moved.  When the coffin was opened, he supposedly looked like he had just died.  This cast a holy aura upon him.  People who touched him or his coffin, or prayed near him, experienced miracles of healing.  Because of this, he was post-humously awarded the title of saint.  

In the above photo you can see past the altar, and into The Octagon, through it's wide, west-facing opening.  Below, the chancel arch wall between the choir and the octagon.  Construction of much of this wall took place following a fire in 1328.

Beneath the main arch, the figures represent the transfiguration of Jesus Christ, with Moses and Elijah on either side.  

Above that figure grouping is the crucified Christ, flanked by Mary and John.

Saint Olav's body is said to still be buried in the cathedral, but there are discrepancies as where in the cathedral.  Some sources say he is buried in one of the walls, others under the floor.  Near the east wall of the octagon is the High Altar.  The shape of this ornate piece is meant to be reminiscent of the Olav Shrine from the middle ages.

Within the stone framework of the octagonal tower, is a smaller room, surrounded by a corridor called an ambulatory.  The outer walls are thick and heavily ornamented, inside and out.  Having been constructed somewhere around 1180-1200, and been in continuous use, they are stained from a million hands running across their surfaces.

Knowing I had plenty of time and couldn't get lost, I split from the group and did a bit of exploring.  As I walked around the silent ambulatory, I felt myself slip back through the ages.  Hearing strange, haunting music, I was pulled forward.  Then, from the opposite side of the wall I was near, I heard singing.  It would have been coming from one of the small chapels protruding from the octagon.

On the inner walls of the ambulatory there were interesting cut outs to see into the inner room.

There was much more to look at throughout the cathedral.  In the southern transept there were many stained glass windows.  Here you could also see the different colors and styles of stone on the wall as it had been rebuilt several times.

And in the upper chapel in the northern transept is the magnificent Wagner Organ, from 1741.

I had looked and heard so much during our time at the cathedral, it seemed we had been there for hours.  We finally boarded the bus for the ride back to the harbor.  We trundled along through the still quiet streets, passing colorful, boxy buildings, laced with winter-bare trees.

As we entered the ship I hoped that we'd made it back in time for lunch, and was so surprised when I discovered that it was only a bit after 9:00 in the morning.  Time for a bit of a nap.