The Archbishop's Palace in Trondheim (
Norwegian: Erkebispegården i Trondheim) is a castle and palace in the city of
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...
, located just south of the
Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral () is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county. It is built over the burial site of Olav II of Norway, King Olav II ( 995–1030, reigned 1015–1028), who became the patron saint of th ...
. For hundreds of years, the castle was the seat, residence and administrative center of the
Archbishop of Nidaros.
During the Middle ages
The castle is one of the largest medieval stone structures in
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...
and the oldest walls are likely from the 13th century. The Archbishops of Nidaros expanded the castle gradually, with great halls and residential areas being built over time. Norway's last Archbishop,
Olav Engelbrektsson, attempted to make a final stand and defend the castle during the
Reformation
The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
but eventually fled into exile.
Royal property
After the abolishment of
Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, the castle became royal property where the local
lensherre resided. The castle was restored, rebuilt into a residential palace and eventually used more for military purposes, again being expanded considerably. After the
Sovereignty Act of 1660, the castle became the seat and residence of the
Amtmann
__NOTOC__
The ''Amtmann'' or ''Ammann'' (in Switzerland) was an official in German-speaking countries of Europe and in some of the Nordic countries from the time of the Middle Ages whose office was akin to that of a bailiff
A bailiff is a ...
.
Restoration and current use
Substantial archeological excavations were made during the 1950s by
Nicolay Nicolaysen
Nicolay Nicolaysen (14 January 1817 - 22 January 1911) was a Norway, Norwegian Archaeology, archaeologist and Norway's first state employed antiquarian. He is perhaps best known for his excavations of the ship burial at Gokstad ship burial, Gok ...
and
Gerhard Fischer which led to restorations being made at the castle. Today, the castle has several museums, is frequently used by the
Church of Norway
The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...
and is also the venue of
Olavsfestdagene.
The Royal Regalia
The
Regalia of Norway have been kept in the western flank of the castle at various times since 1826, but have been on permanent display in the castle since 2006.
The Royal Regalia
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Gallery
File:Erkebispegården Trondheim 01.jpg, The courtyard of the castle
File:Trondheimpalaisepiscopal.jpg, Castle gates
File:Museet Erkebispegården.jpg, Entrance to the castle museum
File:L13 4195 erkebispegarden.JPG, The castle with the Nidaros cathedral in the background
Literature
* Bakke, Erling: ''Erkebispegården. Nordens eldste profane bygning'', Trondheim 1977.
* Fischer, Dorothea og Gerhard: ''Erkebispegård – Kongsgård. Arkeologisk oppdagerarbeid 1952–72'' i ''Fortidsminneforeningens Årbok 1975'', pages 3–40.
* Nordeide, Sæbjørg Walaker: ''Erkebispegården i Trondheim. Beste tomta i by'n.'' Trondheim 2003, page 379.
References
External links
The Archbishop's Palace Museum
{{Castles in Norway
Episcopal palaces
Castles in Norway
Military installations in Trondheim
Forts in Norway
Museums in Trondheim
Palaces in Norway
Catholic Church in Norway
History of Christianity in Norway