St. Hallvard's Cathedral (''Hallvardskatedralen'') was the former Oslo Cathedral. It fell into disrepair in the 17th century and is today in

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

. The site is located between Bispegata and St. Halvards gate in

Oslo, Norway Oslo ( or ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of towns and cities in Norway, most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a Counties of Norway, county and a Municipalities of Norway, municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a populat ...

Summary

St. Hallvard's Church was the earliest cathedral in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

. The cathedral was built during the early 12th century. Oslo was abandoned after a devastating fire in 1624 and the foundation of a new city, Christiania, about one kilometre further west. St. Hallvard's Cathedral was used as a church until about 1655. Besides being the bishop's seat and religious center of eastern Norway for about 500 years, the cathedral was the coronation church, royal wedding church,

chapel royal A chapel royal is an establishment in the British and Canadian royal households serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the royal family. Historically, the chapel royal was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarc ...

, and one of

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 ...

's most visited places of

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

. St. Hallvard cemetery is located mainly south of the cathedral. It was the honorary cemetery in Oslo and eastern Norway from around 1130 to 1639. Bishops and other prominent men and women were interred in the church along with Norwegian kings. First excavations of the ruins were conducted in 1865 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 ...

. Towards the end of the 1800s, Bispegata was extended in an easterly direction over the cathedral site. In the early 1920s, Johan Adolf Gerhard Fischer (1890–1977) led the final stage of excavation. Parts of the ruins were removed by digging for a culvert for the

Østfold Line The Østfold Line () is a railway line which runs from Oslo through the western parts of Follo, Norway, Follo and Østfold to Kornsjø in Norway. It continues through Sweden as the Norway/Vänern Line. The northern half is double track and the en ...

in between 1920 and 1922. The cathedral was the main attraction when Memorial Park in Old Town (''Minneparken i Gamlebyen'') opened in 1932. Neighboring the site of the former cathedral are the ruins of the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

parish church, Holy Cross Church (''Korskirken'').

Prominent interments

* King

Sigurd the Crusader Sigurd the Crusader (; ; 1089 – 26 March 1130), also known as Sigurd Magnusson and Sigurd I, was King of Norway from 1103 to 1130. His rule, together with his half-brother Øystein (until Øystein died in 1123), has been regarded by historian ...

* King

Magnus the Blind Magnus Sigurdsson ( – 12 November 1139), also known as Magnus the Blind and Magnus IV, was King of Norway from 1130 to 1135 and again from 1137 to 1139. His period as king marked the beginning of the civil war era in Norway, which lasted until ...

* King

Inge I of Norway Inge Haraldsson (; 1135 – 3 February 1161) was king of Norway (being Inge I) from 1136 to 1161. Inge’s reign fell within the start of the period known in Norwegian history as the civil war era, and he was never the sole ruler of the country. ...

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References

{{Authority control H Archaeological sites in Norway Ancient Cathedrals in Norway Former Roman Catholic cathedrals in Norway Oslo Old Town Hallvard's Hallvard's 12th-century churches in Norway

Summary

Prominent interments

See also

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References