Home of Saint Olav

We
continued
walking


toward
the
tower


of
the
west
entrance



over
the
courtyard

and

turned
around


for a
full view.




Here we zoomed in for a better look at the large rose window and the some of the 59 eight-foot-tall statues depicting the Apostles, Biblical prophets, judges and kings plus Norwegian kings and saints...


ones such as

St. Sunniva (left), an Irish king's daughter whose ship foundered, leaving her stranded at Selje where she was killed by heathen Håken Ladejarl in the year 996. She was the first saint ever declared in Norway.

Love (right), one of three heavenly virtues that stands to the left of the rose window. A group of four secular virtues stands to the rose window's right.

St. Olav (center), who was killed at the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030 and one year later was declared a saint, Norway's Patron Saint. According to legend, his body lies under the high altar of this very cathedral...


a
place

that's
drawn
in

thousands –

maybe even millions –

of pilgrims





over


hundreds


of


years.