St. Olav's Cathedral, Oslo

St. Olav's Cathedral (Norwegian: Sankt Olav domkirke) is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo and the parish church of St. Olav's parish in Oslo, Norway. The cathedral has church services and masses in Norwegian and several other languages, including English and Polish.

St. Olav's Cathedral
Sankt Olav domkirke
LocationOslo
CountryNorway
DenominationRoman Catholic
WebsiteWebsite
History
StatusCathedral
Founded1896 (1896)
DedicationSaint Olav
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Heinrich Ernst Schirmer and
Wilhelm von Hanno
Architectural typeNeo-Gothic
Administration
ParishSt. Olav
DioceseOslo
Clergy
Bishop(s)Bernt Ivar Eidsvig

History

At the time of construction, this church, being built at Hammersborg, near the graveyard of Our Saviour (Norwegian: Vår Frelsers gravlund), was located in the countryside outside the then city of Oslo. The work was funded by private donations and fundraising abroad, the most generous individual donor being Queen Josephine, who was a Catholic herself.[1] The first mass of the church was celebrated on 24 August 1856, but as there was no Roman Catholic bishop in the country, the church was not consecrated until 8 August 1896.

A relic, reportedly a bone from St. Olav's arm, have been placed in a showcase since the 1860s. When the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo was established in 1953, St. Olav's was chosen as the episcopal seat and was elevated to the rank of cathedral. It is the second Catholic cathedral in Oslo.[2] St. Olav's Cathedral was visited by Pope John Paul II when he visited the Scandinavian countries in 1989.[3]

St. Olav's Cathedral interior

See also

References
  1. Katolsk.no website About Queen Josephine and St. Olav`s Cathedral; accessed 20 September 2016. (in Norwegian)
  2. Katolsk.no website About St. Olav`s Cathedral (in Norwegian)
  3. Johannes Paul II - Pilegrimspaven og menneskefiskeren www.katolsk.no - Website of the Roman Catholic Church in Norway (in Norwegian)
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