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Olaf II de Noruega
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Olaf II
Olav der Heilige07.jpg
Moneda de Olaf con fecha de 1023–28.
Rey de noruega
Reinado 1015–1028
Predecesor Sweyn Forkbeard
Sucesor Cnut el grande
Nacido 995
Ringerike , Noruega
Murió 29 de julio de 1030 (34 a 35 años de edad)
Batalla de Stiklestad , Stiklestad , Noruega
Esposa Astrid Olofsdotter
Problema Wulfhild, duquesa de Sajonia
Magnus, rey de Noruega ( ilegítimo )
Nombre completo
Olaf Haraldsson
Casa San Olaf
Padre Harald Grenske
Madre Åsta Gudbrandsdatter
Religión catolicismo
Santo
Olaf de Noruega
Rey de Noruega y Mártir
Venerado en Iglesia Católica Iglesia
Ortodoxa Oriental
Luteranismo [1]
Canonizado Precongregación
Santuario mayor Catedral de Nidaros
Banquete 29 de julio
imperial de la palma de Crown Martyr
Mecenazgo Noruega , Islas Feroe
Olaf II Haraldsson (c. 995 - 29 de julio de 1030), más tarde conocido como San Olaf (y tradicionalmente como San Olave ), fue rey de Noruega de 1015 a 1028. Hijo de Harald Grenske , un pequeño rey en Vestfold , Noruega, [ 2] recibió póstumamente el título de Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae (Inglés: Rey Eterno / Perpetuo de Noruega ) y fue canonizado en Nidaros ( Trondheim ) por el Obispo Grimkell , un año después de su muerte en la Batalla de Stiklestad el 29 de julio de 1030. Sus restos fueron consagrado enCatedral de Nidaros , construida sobre su cementerio. Su santidad alentó la adopción generalizada del cristianismo por los vikingos / nórdicos de Escandinavia .
El Papa Alejandro III confirmó la canonización local de Olaf en 1164, convirtiéndolo en un santo universalmente reconocido de la Iglesia Católica Romana . Se convirtió en un santo igualmente importante de la Iglesia Ortodoxa Oriental (fiesta el 29 de julio) y uno de los últimos santos famosos antes del Gran Cisma . [3] Después de la reforma fue una figura histórica conmemorada entre algunos miembros de las Comuniones Luterana y Anglicana. [4]
La saga de Olav Haraldsson y la leyenda de Olaf el Santo se convirtieron en el centro de una identidad nacional. Especialmente durante el período del nacionalismo romántico , Olaf fue un símbolo de la independencia y el orgullo de Noruega. San Olaf está simbolizado por el hacha en el escudo de armas de Noruega y Olsok (29 de julio) sigue siendo su día de celebración. Muchas instituciones cristianas con vínculos escandinavos, así como la Orden de San Olav de Noruega, llevan su nombre. [5]
San Olaf en vidriera en la Iglesia de Ålesund
Contenido
1 Nombre
2 Antecedentes
3 Fuentes de la saga para Olaf Haraldsson
4 Reinado
5 Problemas de Olaf como rey cristianizante
6 Santidad
6.1 Conversión de Noruega
6.2 Dinastía de Olaf
6.3 San Olaf
6.3.1 Culto litúrgico
6.3.2 Folklore
6.3.3 Otras referencias a San Olaf
7 Ver también
8 Notas
9 Referencias
10 Otras lecturas
11 enlaces externos
Nombre
El nombre nórdico antiguo de San Olaf II es Ólafr Haraldsson . Durante su vida fue conocido como Olaf 'el gordo' o 'el robusto' o simplemente como Olaf 'el grande' ( Ólafr digri ; el noruego moderno Olav digre ). [6] En Noruega hoy en día, comúnmente se lo llama Olav den hellige ( Bokmål ; Olaf el Santo) o Heilage-Olav ( Nynorsk ; el Santo Olaf) en honor a su santidad. [7]
Olaf Haraldsson tenía el nombre de pila Óláfr en nórdico antiguo (etimología: Anu- "antepasado", -laibaR - "heredero"). Olav es el equivalente moderno en noruego , anteriormente a menudo escrito Olaf. Su nombre en islandés es Ólafur, en feroés Ólavur, en danés Olav, en sueco Olof, en finlandés Olavi. Olave era la ortografía tradicional en Inglaterra, conservada en nombre de las iglesias medievales dedicadas a él. Otros nombres, como Oláfr hinn helgi, Olavus rex y Olaf se usan indistintamente (ver el Heimskringla de Snorri Sturluson ). A veces se le llamaRex Perpetuus Norvegiae (en inglés: "El Rey Eterno de Noruega" ), una designación que se remonta al siglo XIII. [8]
Antecedentes
San Olaf nació en Ringerike , [9] hijo de Åsta Gudbrandsdatter y Harald Grenske , un pequeño rey en Vestfold , [2] a quien las sagas islandesas posteriores describirían como un tataranieto de Harald Fairhair , el primer rey de Noruega. Harald Grenske murió cuando Åsta Gudbrandsdatter estaba embarazada de Olaf. Más tarde se casó con Sigurd Syr , con quien tuvo otros hijos, incluido Harald Hardrada , quien más tarde reinó como rey de Noruega. [ cita requerida ]
Fuentes de la saga para Olaf Haraldsson
Muchos textos contienen información sobre Olaf Haraldsson. El más antiguo es el Glælognskviða o "Poema en calma del mar", compuesto por Þórarinn loftunga , un islandés. Alaba a Olaf y menciona algunos de los famosos milagros que se le atribuyen. Las historias sinópticas noruegas también mencionan a Olaf. Estos incluyen el Ágrip af Nóregskonungasögum (c. 1190), la Historia Norwegiae (c. 1160-1175) y un texto latino, Historia de Antiquitate Regum Norwagiensium de Theodoric the Monk (c. 1177-1188). [10]
Los islandeses también escribieron extensamente sobre Olaf y hay varias sagas islandesas sobre él, incluidas Fagrskinna (c. 1220) y Morkinskinna (c. 1225-1235). Heimskringla (c. 1225), de Snorri Sturluson , basa en gran medida su relato de Olaf en el anterior Fagrskinna . La saga más antigua de San Olaf (c. 1200) es importante para los estudiosos por su uso constante de versos escáldicos , muchos de los cuales se atribuyen al propio Olaf. [10]
Finalmente, muchas fuentes hagiográficas describen a San Olaf, pero estas se enfocan principalmente en los milagros que se le atribuyen y no pueden usarse para recrear con precisión su vida. Uno notable es La pasión y los milagros del beato Olafr . [11]
Reinado
Esta sección necesita citas adicionales para su verificación . Por favor, ayuda a mejorar este artículo mediante la adición de citas de fuentes confiables . El material no obtenido puede ser desafiado y eliminado. ( Julio de 2012 ) ( Obtenga información sobre cómo y cuándo eliminar este mensaje de plantilla )
Un relato ampliamente utilizado de la vida de Olaf se encuentra en Heimskringla desde c. 1225. Aunque sus hechos son dudosos, la saga relata los hechos de Olaf de la siguiente manera:
Noruega en 1020
Alrededor de 1008, Olaf aterrizó en la isla estonia de Saaremaa (Osilia). Los osilianos , tomados por sorpresa, al principio habían aceptado las demandas de Olaf, pero luego reunieron un ejército durante las negociaciones y atacaron a los noruegos. Olaf, sin embargo, ganó la batalla. [12]
Se dice que Olaf participó junto a su compañero vikingo Thorkell el Alto en el Asedio de Canterbury en 1011. [13]
Olaf navegó hacia la costa sur de Finlandia en algún momento de 1008. [14] [15] [16] El viaje resultó en la Batalla de Herdaler , donde Olaf y sus hombres fueron emboscados en el bosque. Olaf perdió muchos hombres pero regresó a sus botes. Ordenó a sus barcos que partieran a pesar de la tormenta. Los finlandeses los persiguieron e hicieron el mismo progreso en tierra que Olaf y sus hombres en el agua. A pesar de estos eventos sobrevivieron. La ubicación exacta de la batalla es incierta y se desconoce el equivalente finlandés de Herdaler. Se ha sugerido que podría ser en Uusimaa .
Cuando era adolescente, Olaf se fue al Báltico , luego a Dinamarca y más tarde a Inglaterra . La poesía escáldica sugiere que lideró un exitoso ataque marítimo que derribó el Puente de Londres , aunque las fuentes anglosajonas no lo confirman. Esto pudo haber sido en 1014, restaurando Londres y el trono inglés a Æthelred the Unready y quitando a Cnut. [17]
Olaf lo vio como su llamado a unir Noruega en un reino, como Harald Fairhair había logrado en gran medida. De camino a casa pasó el invierno con el duque Ricardo II de Normandía . Los escandinavos habían conquistado esta región en 881. Richard era un cristiano ferviente, y los normandos también se habían convertido previamente al cristianismo. Antes de partir, Olaf fue bautizado en Rouen [9] en la catedral prerrománica de Notre-Dame por el hermano de Richard, Robert the Dane , arzobispo de Normandía.
Olaf regresó a Noruega en 1015 y se declaró rey, obteniendo el apoyo de los cinco pequeños reyes de las Tierras Altas de Noruega . [18] En 1016, en la batalla de Nesjar , derrotó a Earl Sweyn , uno de los condes de Lade y hasta entonces gobernante de facto de Noruega. Fundó la ciudad de Borg, más tarde conocida como Sarpsborg , junto a la cascada Sarpsfossen en el condado de Østfold . En unos pocos años había ganado más poder del que había disfrutado cualquiera de sus predecesores en el trono.
Olaf aniquiló a los pequeños reyes del sur, sometió a la aristocracia, afirmó su soberanía en las islas Orcadas y realizó una incursión exitosa en Dinamarca. [18] Hizo las paces con el rey Olof Skötkonung de Suecia a través de Þorgnýr el Portavoz , y estuvo comprometido durante algún tiempo con la hija de Olof, la princesa Ingegerd , aunque sin la aprobación de Olof.
En 1019 Olaf se casó con Astrid Olofsdotter , la hija ilegítima del rey Olof y media hermana de su ex prometida. La unión produjo una hija, Wulfhild , que se casó con Ordulf, duque de Sajonia en 1042. Numerosas líneas reales, gran ducales y ducales descienden de Ordulf y Wulfhild, incluidos miembros de la Casa de Sajonia-Coburgo y Gotha . Maud de Gales , hija del rey Eduardo VII del Reino Unido , era la madre del rey Olav V de Noruega , por lo que Olav y su hijo Harald V , el actual rey de Noruega, descienden de Olaf.
Olav den Helliges de
Peter Nicolai Arbo (1859)
Pero el éxito de Olaf duró poco. En 1026 perdió la batalla de Helgeå , [ cita requerida ] y en 1029 los nobles noruegos, furiosos por el descontento, apoyaron la invasión del rey Cnut el Grande de Dinamarca. Olaf fue llevado al exilio en Kievan Rus . [18] [9] Permaneció durante algún tiempo en la provincia sueca de Nerike , donde, según la leyenda local, bautizó a muchos lugareños. En 1029, el regente noruego del rey Cnut, Jarl Håkon Eiriksson , se perdió en el mar. Olaf aprovechó la oportunidad para recuperar el reino, pero cayó en 1030 en la batalla de Stiklestad., donde algunos de sus propios súbditos del centro de Noruega tomaron las armas contra él. La posición exacta de la tumba de San Olaf en Nidaros se desconoce desde 1568, debido a los efectos de la iconoclasia luterana en 1536-1537.
El rey Cnut, aunque distraído por la tarea de gobernar Inglaterra, gobernó Noruega durante cinco años después de Stiklestad, con su hijo Svein y la madre de Svein, Ælfgifu (conocida como Álfífa en fuentes nórdicas antiguas) como regentes. Pero su regencia era impopular, y cuando el hijo ilegítimo de Olaf, Magnus ('el Bueno') reclamó el trono noruego, Svein y Ælfgifu se vieron obligados a huir.
San Olaf con su hacha en un báculo del obispo , marfil de morsa, Noruega c. 1375-1400 ( Museo de Victoria y Alberto )
Escudo de Armas Real de Noruega, con el hacha que simboliza al Rey Olaf
Problemas de Olaf como rey cristianizante
Tradicionalmente se ha considerado que Olaf lideró la cristianización de Noruega, pero la mayoría de los estudiosos de la época creen ahora que Olaf tuvo poco que ver con el proceso. Olaf trajo consigo a Grimkell , a quien generalmente se le atribuye haber ayudado a Olaf a crear sedes episcopales y organizar aún más la iglesia noruega. Pero Grimkell era solo un miembro de la familia de Olaf y no se crearon sedes permanentes hasta c. 1100. Además, Olaf y Grimkell probablemente no introdujeron nuevas leyes eclesiásticas en Noruega; estos fueron atribuidos a Olaf en una fecha posterior. Es muy probable que Olaf trató de llevar el cristianismo al interior de Noruega, donde era menos frecuente. [19]
También se han planteado preguntas sobre la naturaleza del cristianismo de Olaf. Los historiadores modernos [ cita requerida ] generalmente están de acuerdo [ cita requerida ] en que Olaf estaba inclinado a la violencia y la brutalidad, y notan que los eruditos anteriores a menudo descuidaron este lado de su carácter. Parece que, como muchos reyes escandinavos, Olaf usó su cristianismo para ganar más poder para la monarquía y centralizar el control en Noruega. Los versos escáldicos atribuidos a Olaf no hablan del cristianismo en absoluto, pero usan referencias paganas para describir las relaciones románticas. [10] [20]
En su libro La conversión de Escandinavia , Anders Winroth sostiene que hubo un "largo proceso de asimilación, en el que los escandinavos adoptaron, uno por uno y con el tiempo, prácticas cristianas individuales". [21] Winroth no afirma que Olaf no fuera cristiano, pero sostiene que no podemos pensar en ningún escandinavo que se convierta por completo como se describe en las hagiografías o sagas posteriores. El mismo Olaf es retratado en fuentes posteriores como una santa figura que obra milagros para ayudar a apoyar esta rápida visión de la conversión de Noruega, pero el Olaf histórico no actuó de esta manera, como se ve especialmente en los versos escáldicos que se le atribuyen.
Santidad
Olaf se convirtió rápidamente en el santo patrón de Noruega; El obispo Grimkell realizó su canonización solo un año después de su muerte. [a] El culto a Olaf unificó el país y consolidó la cristianización de Noruega. También es reconocido como el santo patrón de las Islas Feroe . [23] [24]
Debido al estado posterior de Olaf como santo patrón de Noruega, y a su importancia en la historiografía medieval posterior y en el folclore noruego, es difícil evaluar el carácter histórico de Olaf. A juzgar por los esbozos de los hechos históricos conocidos, parece haber sido un gobernante bastante fracasado, cuyo poder se basaba en una alianza con el mucho más poderoso Rey Canuto el Grande ; quien fue llevado al exilio cuando reclamó su propio poder; y cuyo intento de reconquista fue rápidamente aplastado.
Esto requiere una explicación del estatus que obtuvo después de su muerte. Tres factores son importantes: el mito posterior que rodea su papel en la cristianización de Noruega, las diversas relaciones dinásticas entre las familias gobernantes y la necesidad de legitimación en un período posterior. [25]
Conversión de Noruega
Viñetas modernas de hierro forjado de la vida de Olaf en la puerta de una iglesia de madera en Hardemo , Nerike , donde Olaf bautizó a los lugareños durante su fuga.
Estatua de S. Olav en ( Iglesia Austevoll )
Olaf Haraldsson y Olaf Tryggvason son considerados tradicionalmente como las fuerzas impulsoras detrás de la conversión final de Noruega al cristianismo. [26] Pero grandes cruces de piedra y otros símbolos cristianos sugieren que al menos las áreas costeras de Noruega estuvieron profundamente influenciadas por el cristianismo mucho antes de la época de Olaf; con una excepción, todos los gobernantes de Noruega desde Håkon el Bueno (c. 920–961) eran cristianos, al igual que el principal oponente de Olaf, Canuto el Grande . Lo que parece claro es que Olaf hizo esfuerzos para establecer una organización eclesiástica en una escala más amplia que antes, entre otras cosas, importando obispos de Inglaterra , Normandía y Alemania., y que trató de imponer el cristianismo en las zonas del interior, que tenían la menor comunicación con el resto de Europa, y que económicamente estaban más fuertemente basadas en la agricultura, por lo que la inclinación a aferrarse al antiguo culto a la fertilidad fue más fuerte que en las zonas occidentales más diversificadas y expansivas de Noruega.
Muchos creen que Olaf introdujo la ley cristiana en Noruega en 1024, basándose en la piedra Kuli . Pero esta piedra es difícil de interpretar. [21] La codificación del cristianismo como la religión legal de Noruega se atribuyó a Olaf, y sus arreglos legales para la Iglesia de Noruega llegaron a ser tan altos a los ojos del pueblo y el clero noruego que cuando el Papa Gregorio VIIintentó hacer obligatorio el celibato clerical para los sacerdotes de Europa Occidental en 1074–75, los noruegos lo ignoraron en gran medida, ya que no se mencionaba el celibato clerical en el código legal de Olaf para su iglesia. Sólo después de que Noruega se convirtió en una provincia metropolitana con su propio arzobispo en 1153, lo que hizo que la iglesia noruega, por un lado, fuera más independiente de su rey, pero por otro lado, más directamente responsable ante el Papa, el derecho canónico obtuvo una mayor prominencia en la vida y jurisdicción de la iglesia noruega.
Dinastía de Olaf
Por varias razones, la más importante de las cuales es la muerte del rey Canuto el Grande en 1035, pero quizás también un cierto descontento entre los nobles noruegos con el dominio danés en los años posteriores a la muerte de Olaf en 1030, el hijo ilegítimo de Olaf con la concubina Alvhild, Magnus el Bueno , asumió el poder. en Noruega y, finalmente, también en Dinamarca. Numerosas iglesias danesas se dedicaron a Olaf durante su reinado, y las sagas dan vislumbres de los esfuerzos del joven rey para promover el culto a su padre fallecido. Esto se volvió típico de las monarquías escandinavas. En la época pagana, los reyes escandinavos derivaban su derecho a gobernar de sus pretensiones de descendencia del dios nórdico Odin , o en el caso de los reyes de los suecos en Old Uppsala , de Freyr.. En la época cristiana, esta legitimación del derecho de gobernar de una dinastía y su prestigio nacional se basaba en su descendencia de un rey santo. Así, los reyes de Noruega promovieron el culto a San Olaf, los reyes de Suecia el culto a San Erik y los reyes de Dinamarca el culto a San Canuto , así como en Inglaterra los reyes normandos y Plantagenet promovieron el culto a San Eduardo. el Confesor en la Abadía de Westminster , su iglesia de coronación. [27]
San Olaf
Culto litúrgico
Ilustración de San Olaf para la saga Olav den helliges , Heimskringla , de Gerhard Munthe (1899)
Sigrid Undset señaló que Olaf fue bautizado en Rouen , la capital de Normandía , y sugirió que Olaf pudo haber usado sacerdotes de ascendencia normanda para sus misioneros. Los normandos estaban algo familiarizados con la cultura de las personas a las que iban a convertir y, en algunos casos, es posible que pudieran comprender el idioma. Entre los obispos que se sabe que Olaf trajo de Inglaterra estaba Grimkell (en latín : Grimcillus ). Probablemente fue el único de los obispos misioneros que quedó en el país en el momento de la muerte de Olaf, y estuvo detrás de la traducción y beatificación de Olaf el 3 de agosto de 1031. [a]Grimkell se convirtió más tarde en el primer obispo de Sigtuna en Suecia.
En ese momento, los obispos locales y su gente reconocían y proclamaban santa a una persona, y no era habitual un procedimiento formal de canonización a través de la curia papal ; en el caso de Olaf, esto no sucedió hasta 1888. Pero Olaf II murió antes del Cisma Este-Oeste y un rito romano estricto no estaba bien establecido en Escandinavia en ese momento. También es venerado en la Iglesia Ortodoxa Oriental . [28]
St Olaf en vidriera en St Olave Hart Street en Londres
Icono de Madonna Nicopeia
Las representaciones medievales de San Olaf adoptaron características de Thor. Esta estatua de madera es de Sankt Olofs kyrka en Scania .
Sant'Olav II, Re di Norvegia de Pius Weloński (1849-1931) en la Capilla de San Olav en San Carlo al Corso
Sello de las Islas Feroe con San Olaf
San Olaf en el centro del broche del siglo XVI ( Museo Nacional de Dinamarca en Copenhague)
Más tarde, Grimkell fue nombrado obispo de la diócesis de Selsey, en el sureste de Inglaterra. Esta es probablemente la razón por la que los primeros vestigios de un culto litúrgico de Olaf se encuentran en Inglaterra. Un oficio , o servicio de oración, para Olaf se encuentra en el llamado collectar Leofric (c. 1050), que el obispo Leofric de Exeter legó en su última voluntad y testamento a la catedral de Exeter . Este culto inglés parece haber durado poco.
Alrededor de 1070, Adán de Bremen menciona la peregrinación al santuario de San Olaf en Nidaros , pero este es el único rastro firme que tenemos de un culto a San Olaf en Noruega antes de mediados del siglo XII. En ese momento, también se le llamaba Rey Eterno de Noruega . En 1152/3, Nidaros se separó de Lund como arzobispado de Nidaros . Es probable que cualquier veneración formal o informal de Olaf como santo haya existido antes en Nidaros, fue enfatizada y formalizada en esta ocasión.
Los milagros realizados por San Olaf aparecen por primera vez en el poema escáldico de Þórarinn loftunga Glælognskviða , o "Poema en calma del mar", de aproximadamente 1030–34. [29] Uno es matar y arrojar sobre una montaña una serpiente marina que aún se ve en el acantilado. [30] Otro tuvo lugar el día de su muerte, cuando un ciego recuperó la vista después de frotarse los ojos con las manos manchadas con la sangre de Olaf.
Los textos utilizados para la celebración litúrgica de San Olaf durante la mayor parte de la Edad Media probablemente fueron compilados o escritos por Eystein Erlendsson , el segundo arzobispo de Nidaros (1161-1189). [b] Los nueve milagros reportados en Glælognskviða forman el núcleo del catálogo de milagros en esta oficina.
San Olaf fue muy popular en toda Escandinavia. Se le dedicaron numerosas iglesias en Noruega, Suecia e Islandia. Su presencia incluso se sintió en Finlandia y muchos viajaron de todo el mundo nórdico para visitar su santuario. [32] Aparte de los primeros vestigios de un culto en Inglaterra, solo hay referencias dispersas a él fuera del área nórdica.
Se le dedicaron varias iglesias en Inglaterra (a menudo como San Olave ); el nombre era probablemente popular entre los inmigrantes escandinavos. La Iglesia de San Olave, York , se menciona en la Crónica anglosajona de 1055 [33] como el lugar de entierro de su fundador, Earl Siward . Esta es generalmente aceptada como la fundación de la iglesia datable más antigua dedicada a Olaf y es una prueba más de un culto a San Olaf a principios de la década de 1050 en Inglaterra. St Olave Hart Street en la ciudad de Londres es el lugar de enterramiento de Samuel Pepys y su esposa. Otra iglesia de San Olave al sur del Puente de Londresdio su nombre a Tooley Street y a St Olave's Poor Law Union , más tarde Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey : su casa de trabajo en Rotherhithe se convirtió en St Olave's Hospital y luego en un asilo de ancianos a unos cientos de metros de la iglesia de St Olav , que es la iglesia noruega en Londres . También dio lugar al nombramiento de St Olave's Grammar School , que se estableció en 1571 y estuvo en Tooley Street hasta 1968, cuando se mudó a Orpington , Kent.
San Olaf fue también, junto con la Madre de Dios , el santo patrón de la capilla de los varangianos , los guerreros escandinavos que sirvieron como guardaespaldas del emperador bizantino . Se cree que esta iglesia estuvo cerca de la iglesia de Hagia Irene en Constantinopla. El icono de la Virgen Nicopeia , [34] actualmente en la Basílica de San Marcos en Venecia, que se cree que fue llevado tradicionalmente al combate por las fuerzas militares bizantinas, se cree que se mantuvo en esta capilla en tiempos de paz. Así, San Olaf fue también el último santo venerado tanto por las iglesias occidentales como orientales antes del Gran Cisma .
La basílica de Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso en Roma tiene una Capilla de San Olav. Su retablo contiene una pintura del santo, representado como un rey mártir derrotando a un dragón, que representa la victoria sobre su pasado pagano. Originalmente fue un regalo presentado al Papa León XIII en 1893 para el jubileo de oro de su ordenación como obispo por el noble noruego y chambelán papal, el barón Wilhelm Wedel-Jarlsberg . La capilla fue restaurada en 1980 y reinaugurada por el obispo John Willem Gran , obispo de la Diócesis Católica Romana de Oslo . [35]
En Alemania , solía haber un santuario de San Olaf en Koblenz . Fue fundada en 1463 o 1464 por Heinrich Kalteisen en su casa de retiro, el Monasterio de los Dominicos en el barrio Altstadt ("Ciudad Vieja") de Koblenz. Fue arzobispo de Nidaros en Noruega desde 1452 hasta 1458. Cuando murió en 1464, fue enterrado frente al altar del santuario. [36] Pero el santuario no duró mucho. El Monasterio de los Dominicos fue secularizado en 1802 y demolido en 1955. Solo el Rokokoportal (" Portal rococó "), construido en 1754, permanece para marcar el lugar. [37]
En las Islas Feroe , el día de la muerte de San Olaf se celebra como Ólavsøka , una fiesta nacional. [38]
Recientemente , se ha restablecido la ruta de peregrinación a la catedral de Nidaros , el sitio de la tumba de San Olaf. La ruta se conoce como El Camino del Peregrino ( Pilegrimsleden ). La ruta principal, de aproximadamente 640 km de largo, comienza en la parte antigua de Oslo y se dirige hacia el norte, a lo largo del lago Mjosa , subiendo por el valle de Gudbrandsdal , sobre Dovrefjell y bajando por el valle de Orkdal , y termina en la catedral de Nidaros en Trondheim.. Una Oficina del Peregrino en Oslo da consejos a los peregrinos, y un Centro de Peregrinos en Trondheim, bajo la égida de la Catedral, otorga certificados a los peregrinos cuando completan sus viajes. Pero las reliquias de San Olaf ya no están en la Catedral de Nidaros. [ cita requerida ]
Folklore
Durante siglos, Olaf figuraba en las tradiciones populares como un asesino de trolls y gigantes, y como un protector contra las fuerzas maliciosas. Se decía que tenía poder curativo, lo que atraía a la gente a su santuario, y se decía que habían brotado varios manantiales donde él o su cuerpo habían estado. [39] Alrededor del siglo XII, las tradiciones populares y la iconografía de Olaf absorbieron elementos de los dioses Thor y Freyr de la mitología nórdica . [40] Al igual que Freyr, se asoció con la fertilidad, lo que llevó a su adopción como santo patrón por los agricultores, pescadores, marineros y comerciantes de la Liga Hanseática., que se volvió a él en busca de buena cosecha y protección. De Thor, heredó el temperamento rápido, la fuerza física y los méritos de un asesino de gigantes. [41]
La tradición popular también dejó huella en el material eclesiástico. Las primeras representaciones de Olaf lo retratan como bien afeitado, pero después de 1200 aparece con una barba roja, que puede haber sido absorbida por Thor. La Passio a milacule beati Olavi , el registro oficial de los milagros de Olaf, contiene un episodio en el que Olaf ayuda a un hombre a escapar de los huldrefolk , la "gente oculta" del folclore noruego . [41]
Otras referencias a San Olaf
La Catedral de San Olav, Oslo , la principal catedral de la Iglesia Católica Romana en Noruega
Sala de conciertos Olavshallen en Trondheim
La Iglesia de San Olaf, Balestrand en Sogn og Fjordane, Noruega
Sankt Olof situado en el municipio de Simrishamn , condado de Skåne , Suecia
La iglesia de St. Oluf, ahora el cementerio de St. Oluf en Aarhus , Dinamarca, se originó antes de 1203, pero ha estado en ruinas desde 1548.
La Iglesia de San Olaf , la iglesia más alta de Tallin , Estonia
Iglesia de San Olaf en Nõva , Estonia
Iglesia de San Olaf en Vormsi , Estonia
Ruinas de la Iglesia de San Olaf en Väike-Pakri , Estonia
Ruinas de la capilla de San Olaf en Suur-Pakri , Estonia
Iglesia de San Olaf, Tyrvää en Sastamala , Finlandia
Castillo de Olavinlinna en la ciudad de Savonlinna, Finlandia
St. Olaf College fue fundado por el inmigrante noruego-estadounidense Bernt Julius Muus en Northfield, Minnesota durante 1874.
Iglesia católica de San Olaf en el centro de Minneapolis [42]
Iglesia católica de San Olaf en Norge, Virginia [43]
Iglesia y escuela católica de San Olaf en Bountiful, UT [44]
Iglesia anglicana de San Olave, Toronto, ON, Canadá [45]
La escuela primaria y el club GAA en Balally, Dublín, Irlanda, ambos nombrados en honor a St. Olaf [46]
Torre de San Olav , la única torre que queda del castillo de Vyborg
El escudo de armas de la Iglesia de Noruega contiene dos ejes, los instrumentos del martirio de San Olaf.
El cuadro más antiguo de San Olaf está pintado en una columna de la Iglesia de la Natividad en Belén.
La Real Orden Noruega de San Olav fue fundada en 1847 por Oscar I , rey de Noruega y Suecia, en memoria del rey. [18]
TSC Sint Olof [ nl ] , una organización estudiantil holandesa con San Olaf como patrón.
St Olaf St una calle secundaria en Lerwick, Shetland
Ver también
La saga más antigua de San Olaf
Saga legendaria de San Olaf
Saga separada de San Olaf
Óláfs saga helga
Rauðúlfs þáttr , breve historia alegórica que involucra a San Olaf
El drama de San Olav
Olavsund en Ny-Hellesund
Olavinlinna (castillo medieval en Savonlinna )
Escuela secundaria de St Olave
St Olaves , aldea de Norfolk, Inglaterra
Iglesia de San Olave (desambiguación)
Catedral de San Olav, Oslo
Casco y espuelas de San Olaf
Santuario de San Olav
Santuario de Manchan , con representación temprana de San Olaf
San Olaf, patrono archivo
Gloriole blur.svgPortal de los santosP vip.svgPortal de biografía046CupolaSPietro.jpgPortal del catolicismoBandera de Noruega.svgPortal de Noruega
Notas
Grimketel inició la beatificación de Olaf el 3 de agosto de 1031. Esto fue antes de la época del proceso formal de canonización ahora en uso. [22]
Se cree comúnmente que Eysteinn Erlendsson escribió Et Miracula Beati Olaui . Esta obra hagiográfica latina trata sobre la historia y obra de San Olaf, con especial énfasis en su obra misionera. [31]
Referencias
"Santos luteranos notables" . Resurrectionpeople.org .
" Harald Grenske (Vínculos familiares)". Archivado desdeel originalel 31 de octubre de 2010. Consultado el 2 de junio de 2010.
Vladimir Moss . "Mártir-Rey Olaf de Noruega - un santo santo ortodoxo de Noruega" . orthodox.net . Consultado el 14 de diciembre de 2015 .
"El calendario" . Sociedad del Libro de Oración de Canadá . 16 de octubre de 2013 . Consultado el 12 de enero de 2017 .
Fredrik Paasche (29 de julio de 1930). "Olav Haraldsson" . Den norske kirkes 900-årsjubileum . Consultado el 1 de septiembre de 2017 .
Guðbrandur Vigfússon y York Powell, Frederick , ed. (1883). Poesía de la corte . Corpus poeticum boreale. 2 . Oxford: Oxford-Clarendon. pag. 117. OCLC 60479029 .
" San Olaus, o Olave, rey de Noruega, mártir (Butler's Lives of the Saints)" . Bartleby.com . Consultado el 21 de mayo de 2012 .
Leif Inge Ree Petersen. "Olav den hellige" . Tienda norske leksikon . Consultado el 1 de septiembre de 2017 .
"San Olaf, santo patrón de Noruega", Iglesia católica de San Olaf, Minneapolis, Minnesota Archivado el6 de marzo de 2014 enWayback Machine
Lindow, John. "San Olaf y los Skalds". En: DuBois, Thomas A., ed. Santidad en el Norte. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008. 103–27.
Kunin, Devra, trad. Una historia de Noruega y La pasión y los milagros del beato Olafr . Londres: Sociedad Vikinga para la Investigación del Norte, 2011.
"Saaremaa en fuente escrita" . Saaremaa.ee. Archivado desde el original el 22 de enero de 2016 . Consultado el 21 de mayo de 2012 .
Gabriel Turville-Petre (1976). La edad heroica de Escandinavia . Greenwood Press. pag. 142. ISBN 0-8371-8128-3.
"SAGA DE OLAF HARALDSON" . sacred-texts.com . Consultado el 30 de abril de 2016 .
Gallen, Jarl (1984). Länsieurooppalaiset ja skandinaaviset Suomen esihistoriaa koskevat lähteet. Suomen väestön esihistorialliset juuret . págs. 255–56.
editado por Joonas Ahola & Frog con Clive Tolley (2014). Peroné, fábula, hecho: la era vikinga en Finlandia . Studia Fennica. pag. 422.
JR Hagland y B. Watson, 'Hecho o folclore: el ataque vikingo al Puente de Londres' , London Archaeologist , 12 (2005), págs. 328–33.
Reeves 1911, pág. 62.
Lund, Niels. "Escandinavia, c. 700-1066". La nueva historia medieval de Cambridge . Ed. Rosamond McKitterick. Cambridge University Press, 1995.
NRK. "Olav den Hellige var en sadist" . NRK . Consultado el 12 de enero de 2017 .
Winroth, Anders. La conversión de Escandinavia. New Haven: Prensa de la Universidad de Yale, 2012.
Delehaye " Canonización " Encyclopædia Britannica págs. 192–93
"Palabra semanal" . Weeklyword.eu .
"Eco-guerreros se unen al festival de los balleneros" . 14 de agosto de 2011.
" Olav Haraldsson - Olav the Stout - Olav the Saint (Viking Network)" . Viking.no . Consultado el 21 de mayo de 2012 .
Karen Larsen, Una historia de Noruega (Princeton University Press: Princeton, 1948) págs. 95-101.
Claus Krag. "Olav 2 Haraldsson Den Hellige, Konge" . Norsk biografisk leksikon . Consultado el 1 de septiembre de 2017 .
"San Olaf de Noruega" . OrthodoxWiki .
Margaret Clunies Ross, ' Reginnaglar ', en Noticias de otros mundos / Tíðendi ór ǫðrum heimum : Estudios en folclore nórdico, mitología y cultura en honor a John F. Lindow , ed. por Merrill Kaplan y Timothy R. Tangherlini, Monografías ocasionales de seminarios avanzados de Wildcat Canyon, 1 (Berkeley, CA: North Pinehurst Press, 2012), págs. 3–21 (pág. 4); ISBN 0578101742 .
Imagen de serpiente archivada el 20 de marzo de 2017 en Wayback Machine [se necesita fuente no primaria ]
Eysteinn Erlendsson, arzobispo de Nidaros
Orrman, Eljas. "Iglesia y sociedad". En: Prehistoria hasta 1520 . Ed. Knut Helle. Cambridge University Press, 2003.
"La crónica anglosajona" . Britania. Archivado desde el original el 3 de marzo de 2016 . Consultado el 21 de mayo de 2012 .
"La invención de la tradición" . Umbc.edu . Consultado el 21 de mayo de 2012 .
David M. Cheney (22 de agosto de 2015). "Obispo John Willem Nicolaysen Gran, OCSO fallecido" . Jerarquía católica . Consultado el 1 de septiembre de 2017 .
(en noruego) Audun Dybdahl, " Henrik Kalteisen ", en: Norsk biografisk leksikon [ Diccionario biográfico noruego ]. Consultado el 24 de octubre de 2011.
Ver Harald Rausch, " Das Ende der Weißergasse ", PAPOO , publicado el 2 de febrero de 2011 (en alemán) , y Reinhard Schmid, " Koblenz - Dominikanerkloster ", Klöster und Stifte in Rheinland-Pfalz [ Monasterios e iglesias en Renania-Palatinado ] ( en alemán) para obtener más detalles.
" St. Olaf Haraldson (enciclopedia católica)" . Newadvent.org. 1 de febrero de 1911 . Consultado el 21 de mayo de 2012 .
Astås, Reidar (1993). "Óláfr, St.". En Pulsiano, Phillip (ed.). Escandinavia medieval, una enciclopedia . Nueva York y Londres: Garland. pag. 446. ISBN 0-8240-4787-7.
Dumézil, Georges (1973). Dioses de los antiguos hombres del norte . Prensa de la Universidad de California . pag. 125. ISBN 0-520-02044-8.
Lindahl, Carl; McNamara, John; Lindow, John, eds. (2002). "Olaf, Santo". Folklore medieval: una guía de mitos, leyendas, cuentos, creencias y costumbres. Oxford: Prensa de la Universidad de Oxford. pag. 299.ISBN 9780195147711.
Sitio web de la Iglesia ; Estatua del santo del santuario Archivado el 27 de julio de 2011 en la Wayback Machine.
"Iglesia de San Olaf, patrona de la Iglesia católica de Noruega" . stolaf.cc . Consultado el 12 de enero de 2017 .
"Página de inicio de St Olaf" . Iglesia Católica San Olaf .
"Iglesia anglicana de San Olave - belleza y tradición en Bloor West Village de Toronto" . Consultado el 11 de abril de 2019 .
"Escuela Nacional de San Olaf" . Escuela Nacional de San Olaf .
Atribución:
Este artículo incorpora texto de una publicación que ahora es de dominio público : Reeves, Poll (1911). " Olaf § Olaf (II.) Haraldssön ". En Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica . XX (11a ed.). Prensa de la Universidad de Cambridge. pag. 62.
Lectura adicional
Chatelaine, Calhoun, John Caldwell (1911). "Canonización" . Encyclopædia Britannica . V (11ª ed.). págs. 192–93.
Ekrem, Inger; Lars Boje Mortensen; Karen Skovgaard-Petersen (2000) Olavslegenden og den Latinske Historieskrivning i 1100-tallets Norge (Museum Tusculanum Press) ISBN 978-87-7289-616-8
Hoftun, Oddgeir (2008) Kristningsprosessens og herskermaktens ikonografi i nordisk middelalder (Oslo) ISBN 978-82-560-1619-8
Hoftun, Oddgeir (200) Stavkirkene - og det norske middelaldersamfunnet (Copenhague; Borgens Forlag) ISBN 87-21-01977-0
Langslet, Lars Roar; Ødegård, Knut (2011) Olav den hellige. Spor etter helgenkongen (Oslo: Forlaget Press) ISBN 82-7547-402-7
Lidén, Anne (1999) Olav den helige i medeltida bildkonst. Legendmotiv och attribut (Estocolmo) ISBN 91-7402-298-9
Myklebus, Morten (1997) Olaf Viking & Saint (Consejo Noruego de Asuntos Culturales) ISBN 978-82-7876-004-8
Passio Olavi (1970) Lidingssoga og undergjerningane åt den Heilage Olav (Oslo) ISBN 82-521-4397-0
Rumar, Lars (1997) Helgonet i Nidaros: Olavskult och kristnande i Norden (Stockhol) ISBN 91-88366-31-6
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Olav Haraldsson MP
Gender: Male
Birth: circa 995
Gvarv, Sauherad, Telemark, Norway
Death: July 29, 1030 (30-39)
Stiklestad, Verdal, Nord-Trøndelag, Norway (Døde i slaget på Stiklestad)
Place of Burial: St. Clemens-Kirke, Trondheim, Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway
Immediate Family:
Son of Harald Grenske and Åsta Gudbrandsdóttir, Queen of Norway
Husband of Thorberga Arnimsdatter and Queen of Norway Astrid Olofsdotter, of Sweden
Partner of Alvhild Kongemor, concubine
Father of Ulvhild Olavsdotter and Magnus I Olavsson «the Good» den Gode
Half brother of Halfdan Sigurdsson; Halvdan Sigurdsson av Stein; Gunhild Sigurdsdotter; Guttorm (Gudrød) Sigurdsson; Ingrid Sigurdsdatter af Vestfold and 1 other
Added by: Stephanie Powers on March 11, 2007
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Aboutedit | history
Nidaros Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of Norway located in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county. It is built over the burial site of King Olav II, who became the patron saint of the nation, and is the traditional location for the consecration of new kings of Norway. It was built over a 230 year period, from 1070 to 1300 when it was substantially completed. __________________________________
Olav II Haraldsson «the Saint/Digre» den Hellige
https://www.snerpa.is/net/snorri/landnama.htm
http://genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00104684&tree=LEO
http://lind.no/nor/index.asp?lang=&emne=nor&person=Olav%20Haraldsson%20%28den%20heilage%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaf_the_Holy
https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyh%C3%A4_Olavi
http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olav_den_Hellige
http://www.snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Olav_2_Haraldsson_Den_Hellige/utdypning
http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/44977 (Current Archeology 11/23/16)
http://www.katolsk.no/biografi/olav/
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaf_II_of_Norway
https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/norwegian-archaeologists-have-found-shrine-miracle-making-viking-king-021081
Olaf Haraldsson (Old Norse Óláfr Haraldsson, 995 – July 29, 1030) was king of Norway from 1015 to 1028, (known during his lifetime as "the Big" (Óláfr Digre) and after his canonization as Saint Olaf or Olaus). His mother was Åsta Gudbrandsdatter, and his father was Harald Grenske, great-grandchild of Harald Fairhair. In modern day Norway he is known as Olav den Hellige ("Olaf the Holy") or Heilag-Olav ("Holy Olaf") as a result of his sainthood.
Concerning the king's name
King Olaf Haraldsson of Norway had the given name Óláfr in Old Norse. (Etymology: Anu - "forefather", Leifr - "heir".) Olav is the modern equivalent in Norwegian, formerly often spelt Olaf. His name in Icelandic is Ólafur, in Faroese Ólavur, in Danish Oluf, in Swedish Olof, the Norse-Gaels called him Amlaíb and in Waterford it is Olave. Other names, such as Oláfr hinn helgi, Olavus rex, and Olaf (as used in English) are used interchangeably (see the Heimskringla of Snorri Sturluson). He is sometimes referred to as Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae, eternal King of Norway, a designation which goes back to the thirteenth century. The term Ola Nordmann as epithet of the archetypal Norwegian may originate in this tradition, as the name Olav for centuries was the most common male name in Norway.
Reign
Olaf was the subject of several biographies, both hagiographies and sagas, in the Middle Ages, and many of the historical facts concerning his reign are disputed. The best known description is the one in Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla, from c. 1230. That saga cannot be taken as an accurate source for Olaf's life, but most of the following description is based on the narrative there.
Norway during the reign of St. Olaf (1015–1028) showing areas under the control of hereditary chieftains (petty kingdoms).After some years' absence in England, fighting the Danes, he returned to Norway in 1015 and declared himself king, obtaining the support of the five petty kings of the Uplands. In 1016 he defeated Earl Sweyn, hitherto the virtual ruler of Norway, at the Battle of Nesjar. He founded the town Borg by the waterfall Sarpr, later to be known as Sarpsborg. Within a few years he had won more power than had been enjoyed by any of his predecessors on the throne.
He had annihilated the petty kings of the South, had crushed the aristocracy, enforced the acceptance of Christianity throughout the kingdom, asserted his suzerainty in the Orkney Islands, conducted a successful raid on Denmark, achieved peace with king Olof Skötkonung of Sweden through Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker, and was for some time, engaged to his daughter, the Princess of Sweden, Ingegerd Olofsdotter without his approval. After the end of her engagement to Olaf, Ingegerd married the Great Prince Yaroslav I of Kiev.
In 1019 Olaf married the illegitimate daughter of King Olof of Sweden and half-sister of his former bride, Astrid Olofsdotter. Their daughter Wulfhild married Duke Ordulf of Saxony in 1042. The present king of Norway, Harald V and his father Olav V are thus descended from Olaf, since the latter's mother Maud was the daughter of Edward VII of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, one of the numerous royal, grand ducal and ducal lines descended from Ordulf and Wulfrid.
But Olaf's success was short-lived. In 1026 he lost the Battle of the Helgeå, and in 1029 the Norwegian nobles, seething with discontent, rallied round the invading Cnut the Great of Denmark, forcing Olaf to flee to Kievan Rus. During the voyage he stayed some time in Sweden in the province of Nerike where, according to local legend, he baptized many locals. On his return a year later, seizing an opportunity to win back the kingdom after Cnut the Great's vassal as ruler of Norway, Håkon Jarl, was lost at sea, he fell at the Battle of Stiklestad, where some of his own subjects from central Norway were arrayed against him.
Olaf, a rather stubborn and rash ruler, prone to rough treatment of his enemies, ironically became Norway's patron saint. His canonization was performed only a year after his death by the bishop of Nidaros. The cult of Olaf not only unified the country, it also fulfilled the conversion of the nation, something for which the king had fought so hard.
While divisive in life, in death Olaf wielded a unifying power no foreign monarch could hope to undo.
Cnut, most distracted by the task of administrating England, managed to rule Norway for 5 years after the Battle of Stiklestad, through the viceroyship of his son Svein. However, when Olaf's illegitimate son Magnus (dubbed 'the Good') laid claim to the Norwegian throne, Cnut had to yield. A century of prosperity and expansion followed, lasting until the kingdom again descended into a civil war over succession.
Sainthood
Owing to Olaf's later status as the patron saint of Norway, and to his importance in later medieval historiography and in Norwegian folklore, it is difficult to assess the character of the historical Olaf. Judging from the bare outlines of known historical facts, he appears, more than anything else, as a fairly unsuccessful ruler, who had his power based on some sort of alliance with the much more powerful king Cnut the Great; who was driven into exile when he claimed a power of his own; and whose attempt at a reconquest was swiftly crushed.
Conversion of Norway
Olaf and Olaf Tryggvasson together were the driving force behind Norway's final conversion to Christianity. However, large stone crosses and other Christian symbols suggest that at least the coastal areas of Norway were deeply influenced by Christianity long before Olav's time; with one exception, all the rulers of Norway back to Håkon the Good (c. 920–961) had been Christians; and Olav's main opponent, Cnut the Great, was a Christian ruler. What seems clear is that Olav made efforts to establish a church organization on a broader scale than before, among other things by importing bishops from England and Germany, and that he tried to enforce Christianity also in the inland areas, which had the least communication with the rest of Europe, and which economically were more strongly based on agriculture, so that the inclination to hold on to the former fertility cult would have been stronger than in the more diversified and expansive western parts of the country.
Although Olav was certainly not the first to introduce Christianity to Norway, he established the first codification of the faith in 1024, thus laying the basis for the Church of Norway. So high did Olaf's legal arrangements for the Church of Norway come to stand in the eyes of the Norwegian people and clergy, that when Pope Gregory VII attempted to make clerical celibacy binding on the priests of Western Europe in 1074-5, the Norwegians largely ignored this, since there was no mention of clerical celibacy in Olaf's legal code for their Church. Only after Norway was made an metropolitan province with its own archbishop in 1151—which made the Norwegian church, on the one hand, more independent of its king, but, on the other hand, more directly responsible to the Pope — did canon law gain a greater predominance in the life and jurisdiction of the Norwegian church.
Sigrid Undset noted that Olaf was baptized in Rouen, the capital of Normandy, and suggested that Olaf used priests of Norman descent for his missionaries, since these priests were themselves of Norwegian descent, could speak the language and shared the culture of the people they were to convert. Since the Normans themselves had only been in Normandy for about two generations, these priests might, at least in some cases, be their new parishioners distant cousins and thus less likely to kill their pastors once Olaf and his army had left an area. One might note here, as well, that the few surviving manuscripts and the printed missal used in Archdiocese of Nidaros shows a clear dependence on the missals used in Normandy.
Olaf's dynasty
For various reasons, most importantly the death of king Knut the Great in 1035, but perhaps even a certain discontent among Norwegian nobles with the Danish rule in the years after Olaf's death in 1030, his illegitimate son with the concubine Alvhild, Magnus the Good, assumed power in Norway, and eventually also in Denmark. Numerous churches in Denmark were dedicated to Olaf during his reign, and the sagas give glimpses of similar efforts to promote the cult of his deceased father on the part of the young king. This would become typical in the Scandinavian monarchies. It should be remembered that in pagan times the Scandinavian kings derived their right to rule from their claims of descent from the Norse god Odin, or in the case of the kings of the Swedes at Old Uppsala, from Freyr. In Christian times this legitimation of a dynasty's right to rule and its national prestige would be based on its descent from a saintly king. Thus the kings of Norway promoted the cult of St. Olaf, the kings of Sweden the cult of St. Erik and the kings of Denmark the cult of St. Canute, just as in England the Norman and Plantagenet kings similarly promoted the cult of St. Edward the Confessor at Westminster Abbey, their coronation church.
Saint Olaf
Among the bishops that Olaf brought with him from England, was Grimkell (Grimkillus). He was probably the only one of the missionary bishops who was left in the country at the time of Olaf's death, and he stood behind the translation and beatification of Olaf on August 3, 1031. Grimkell later became the first bishop of Sigtuna in Sweden.
At this time, local bishops and their people recognized and proclaimed a person a saint, and a formal canonization procedure through the papal curia was not customary; in Olaf's case, this did not happen until 1888.
Grimkell was later appointed bishop in the diocese of Selsey in the south-east of England. This is probably the reason why the earliest traces of a liturgical cult of St Olaf are found in England. An office, or prayer service, for St Olaf is found in the so-called Leofric collectar (c. 1050), which was bequeathed in his last will and testament by Bishop Leofric of Exeter to Exeter Cathedral, in the neighbouring diocese to Selsey. This English cult seems to have been short-lived.
Adam of Bremen, writing around 1070, mentions pilgrimage to the saint's shrine in Nidaros, but this is the only firm trace we have of a cult of St. Olaf in Norway before the middle of the twelfth century. By this time he was also being referred to as "The Eternal King of Norway". In 1152/3, Nidaros was separated from Lund as the archbishopric of Nidaros. It is likely that whatever formal or informal — which, we do not know — veneration of Olav as a saint there may have been in Nidaros prior to this, was emphasised and formalized on this occasion.
During the visit of the papal legate, Nicholas Brekespear (later Pope Adrian IV), the poem Geisli ("the ray of sun") was recited. In this poem, we hear for the first time of miracles performed by St. Olaf. One of these took place on the day of his death, when a blind man got his eyesight back again after having rubbed his eyes with hands that were stained with the blood from the saint.
The texts which were used for the liturgical celebration of St. Olaf during most of the Middle Ages were probably compiled or written by Eystein Erlendsson, the second Archbishop of Norway (1161–1189). The nine miracles reported in Geisli form the core of the catalogue of miracles in this office.
The celebration of St. Olaf was widespread in the Nordic countries. Apart from the early traces of a cult in England, there are only scattered references to him outside of the Nordic area. Several churches in England were dedicated to him (often as St Olave). St Olave Hart Street in the City of London is the burial place of Samuel Pepys and his wife. Another south of London Bridge gave its name to Tooley Street and to the St Olave's Poor Law Union, later to become the Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey: its workhouse in Rotherhithe became the St Olave's Hospital, now an old-people's home a few hundred metres from St Olaf's Church, which is the Norwegian Church in London. It also led to the naming of St Olave's Grammar School, which was established in 1571 and up until 1968 was situated in Tooley Street. In 1968 the school was moved to Orpington, Kent.
St. Olaf was also, together with the Mother of God, the patron saint of the chapel of the Varangians, the Scandinavian warriors who served as the bodyguard of the Byzantine emperor. This church is believed to have been located near the church of Hagia Irene in Constantinople. The icon of the Madonna Nicopeia, presently in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, which is believed to have been one traditionally carried into combat by the Byzantine military forces, is believed to have been kept in this chapel in times of peace. Thus St. Olaf was also the last saint to be venerated by both the Western and Eastern churches before the Great Schism.
There is also an altar dedicated to St. Olaf in the church of Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso in Rome with a painting of the saint given to Pope Leo XIII in 1893 on the occasion of the golden jubilee of his ordination as a bishop by Wilhelm Wedel-Jarlsberg as its altarpiece.
Recently the pilgrimage route to Nidaros Cathedral, the site of St. Olav's tomb, has been reinstated. Following the Norwegian spelling the route is known as Saint Olav's Way. The main route, which is approximately 640 km long, starts in the ancient part of Oslo and heads North, along Lake Mjosa, up the Gudbrandsdal Valley, over Dovrefjell and down the Oppdal Valley to end at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. There is a Pilgrim's Office in Oslo which gives advice to Pilgrims, and a Pilgrim Centre in Trondheim, under the aegis of the Cathedral, which awards certificates to successful Pilgrims upon the completion of their journey.
Propers of the Mass for the Feast of St. Olaf
Entrance Verse:
Let us all rejoice in the Lord on the feast of blessed Olav, Norway's eternal king. The angels exult over his martyrdom and praise the Son of God.
Opening Prayer:
Almighty, eternal God, you are the crown of kings and the triumph of martyrs. We know that your blessed martyr, Olav, intercedes for us before your face. We praise your greatness in his death and we pray you, give us the crown of life that you have promised those who love you, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Old Testament Reading: Wisdom of Solomon 10: 10-14.
Responsory Psalm: Psalm 31 (30): 1-7 with the response: "Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit."
Epistle: James 1: 2-4, 12.
Allelua Verse:
Alleluia. Holy Olav, you who rejoice with the angels of heaven, pray for us that we may be worthy to present our sacrifice of praise before the Lord. Alleluia.
Gospel: Matthew 16:24-28
Prayer over the Offerings (Secret):
Almighty God, in awe we call upon your inscrutable might. Make holy these created things which you have chosen so that they may become the body and blood of Christ, your Son. Through the intercession of the holy Olav, king and martyr, let them for the salvation of body and soul. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Verse:
Great is his glory through your saving help. With glory and honor will you clothe him, Lord.
Closing Prayer (Postcommunion):
We who have been fed at the table of the Lamb implore you, almighty God, through the intercession of your blessed martyr Olav let us always stand under the protection of your Son who redeemed us by his death on the cross, he who lives and reigns from eternity to eternity.
Olaf Haraldsson (Old Norse Óláfr Haraldsson, 995 – July 29, 1030), was king of Norway from 1015–1028, (known during his lifetime as "the Fat" (Óláfr Digre) and after his canonization as Saint Olaf or Olaus). His mother was Åsta Gudbrandsdatter, and his father was Harald Grenske, great-grandchild of Harald Fairhair. In modern day Norway he is known as Olav den Hellige ("Olaf the Holy") as a result of his sainthood.
Olaf II Haraldsson, patron saint of Norway (Old Norse: Óláfr Haraldsson) (known during his lifetime as "the Big" (Óláfr Digre) and after his canonization as Saint Olaf or Olaus). In modern day Scandinavia he is known as Olav den Hellige ("Olaf the Holy") or Heilag-Olav ("Holy Olaf") as a result of his sainthood. King Olaf Haraldsson of Norway had the given name Óláfr in Old Norse. (Etymology: Anu – "forefather", Leifr – "heir".) Olav is the modern equivalent in Norwegian, formerly often spelt Olaf. His name in Icelandic is Ólafur, in Faroese Ólavur, in Danish Oluf, in Swedish Olof, the Norse-Gaels called him Amlaíb and in Waterford it is Olave. Olave was also the traditional spelling in England, preserved in the name of medieval churches dedicated to him. Other names, such as Oláfr hinn helgi, Olavus rex, and Olaf (as used in English) are used interchangeably (see the Heimskringla of Snorri Sturluson). He is sometimes referred to as Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae, eternal King of Norway, a designation which goes back to the thirteenth century. The term Ola Nordmann as epithet of the archetypal Norwegian may originate in this tradition, as the name Olav for centuries was the most common male name in Norway.
Born: 995
Died: July 29, 1030
Father: Åsta Gudbrandsdatter
Mother: Harald Grenske
Spouses:
Astrid Olofsdotter
Alvhild (concubine)
Issue:
Wulfhild (Ulvhild)
Tore
Emund
Edla
Magnus the Good
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaf_II_of_Norway
Olaf was the subject of several biographies, both hagiographies and sagas, in the Middle Ages, and many of the historical facts concerning his reign are disputed. The best known description is the one in Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla, from c. 1230. That saga cannot be taken as an accurate source for Olaf's life, but most of the following description is based on the narrative there.
Norway during the reign of St. Olaf (1015–1028) showing areas under the control of hereditary chieftains (petty kingdoms). After some years' absence in England, fighting the Danes, he returned to Norway in 1015 and declared himself king, obtaining the support of the five petty kings of the Uplands. In 1016 he defeated Earl Sweyn, hitherto the virtual ruler of Norway, at the Battle of Nesjar. He founded the town Borg by the waterfall Sarpr, later to be known as Sarpsborg. Within a few years he had won more power than had been enjoyed by any of his predecessors on the throne.
He had annihilated the petty kings of the South, subdued the aristocracy, enforced the acceptance of Christianity throughout the kingdom, asserted his suzerainty in the Orkney Islands, and conducted a successful raid on Denmark. He made peace with king Olof Skötkonung of Sweden through Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker, and was for some time engaged to his daughter, Princess Ingegerd Olofsdotter, though without Olof's approval.
In 1019 Olaf married Astrid Olofsdotter, Olof's illegitimate daughter and half-sister of his former fiancée. Their daughter Wulfhild married Ordulf, Duke of Saxony in 1042. Numerous royal, grand ducal and ducal lines are descended from Ordulf and Wulfrid, including the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Maud of Wales, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, was the mother of King Olav V of Norway, so Olav and his son Harald V, the present king of Norway, are thus descended from Olaf.
But Olaf's success was short-lived. In 1026 he lost the Battle of the Helgeå, and in 1029 the Norwegian nobles, seething with discontent, supported the invasion of King Cnut of Denmark. Olaf was driven into exile in Kievan Rus. During the exile he stayed some time in Sweden in the province of Nerike where, according to local legend, he baptized many locals. In 1030, Cnut's Norwegian vassal king, Jarl Håkon Eiriksson, was lost at sea. Olaf seized the opportunity to win back the kingdom, but he fell at the Battle of Stiklestad, where some of his own subjects from central Norway were arrayed against him.
Olaf, a rather stubborn and rash ruler, prone to rough treatment of his enemies, ironically became Norway's patron saint. His canonization was performed only a year after his death by the bishop of Nidaros. The cult of Olaf not only unified the country, it also fulfilled the conversion of the nation, something for which the king had fought so hard. While divisive in life, in death Olaf wielded a unifying power no foreign monarch could hope to undo.
Cnut, though distracted by the task of administrating England, managed to rule Norway for five years after Stiklestad, with his son Svein as viceroy. However, when Olaf's illegitimate son Magnus (dubbed 'the Good') laid claim to the Norwegian throne, Cnut had to yield. A century of prosperity and expansion followed, lasting until the kingdom again descended into a civil war over succession.
Owing to Olaf's later status as the patron saint of Norway, and to his importance in later medieval historiography and in Norwegian folklore, it is difficult to assess the character of the historical Olaf. Judging from the bare outlines of known historical facts, he appears, more than anything else, as a fairly unsuccessful ruler, who had his power based on some sort of alliance with the much more powerful king Cnut the Great; who was driven into exile when he claimed a power of his own; and whose attempt at a reconquest was swiftly crushed.
This calls for an explanation of the status he gained after his death. Three factors are important: his role in the Christianization of Norway, the various dynastic relationships among the ruling families, and the needs for legitimization in a later period.
Olaf and Olaf Tryggvasson together were the driving force behind Norway's final conversion to Christianity. However, large stone crosses and other Christian symbols suggest that at least the coastal areas of Norway were deeply influenced by Christianity long before Olav's time; with one exception, all the rulers of Norway back to Håkon the Good (c. 920–961) had been Christians; and Olav's main opponent, Cnut the Great, was a Christian ruler. What seems clear is that Olav made efforts to establish a church organization on a broader scale than before, among other things by importing bishops from England and Germany, and that he tried to enforce Christianity also in the inland areas, which had the least communication with the rest of Europe, and which economically were more strongly based on agriculture, so that the inclination to hold on to the former fertility cult would have been stronger than in the more diversified and expansive western parts of the country.
Although Olav was certainly not the first to introduce Christianity to Norway, he established the first codification of the faith in 1024, thus laying the basis for the Church of Norway. So high did Olaf's legal arrangements for the Church of Norway come to stand in the eyes of the Norwegian people and clergy, that when Pope Gregory VII attempted to make clerical celibacy binding on the priests of Western Europe in 1074–5, the Norwegians largely ignored this, since there was no mention of clerical celibacy in Olaf's legal code for their Church. Only after Norway was made an metropolitan province with its own archbishop in 1151—which made the Norwegian church, on the one hand, more independent of its king, but, on the other hand, more directly responsible to the Pope — did canon law gain a greater predominance in the life and jurisdiction of the Norwegian church.
Sigrid Undset noted that Olaf was baptized in Rouen, the capital of Normandy, and suggested that Olaf used priests of Norman descent for his missionaries. These priests would be of Norwegian descent, could speak the language, and shared the culture of the people they were to convert. Since the Normans themselves had only been in Normandy for about two generations, these priests might, at least in some cases, be distant cousins of their new parishioners and thus less likely to be killed when Olaf and his army departed. The few surviving manuscripts and the printed missal used in Archdiocese of Nidaros show a clear dependence on the missals used in Normandy.
For various reasons, most importantly the death of king Knut the Great in 1035, but perhaps even a certain discontent among Norwegian nobles with the Danish rule in the years after Olaf's death in 1030, his illegitimate son with the concubine Alvhild, Magnus the Good, assumed power in Norway, and eventually also in Denmark. Numerous churches in Denmark were dedicated to Olaf during his reign, and the sagas give glimpses of similar efforts to promote the cult of his deceased father on the part of the young king. This would become typical in the Scandinavian monarchies. It should be remembered that in pagan times the Scandinavian kings derived their right to rule from their claims of descent from the Norse god Odin, or in the case of the kings of the Swedes at Old Uppsala, from Freyr. In Christian times this legitimation of a dynasty's right to rule and its national prestige would be based on its descent from a saintly king. Thus the kings of Norway promoted the cult of St. Olaf, the kings of Sweden the cult of St. Erik and the kings of Denmark the cult of St. Canute, just as in England the Norman and Plantagenet kings similarly promoted the cult of St. Edward the Confessor at Westminster Abbey, their coronation church.
Among the bishops that Olaf brought with him from England, was Grimkell (Grimkillus). He was probably the only one of the missionary bishops who was left in the country at the time of Olaf's death, and he stood behind the translation and beatification of Olaf on August 3, 1031. Grimkell later became the first bishop of Sigtuna in Sweden.
At this time, local bishops and their people recognized and proclaimed a person a saint, and a formal canonization procedure through the papal curia was not customary; in Olaf's case, this did not happen until 1888.
Grimkell was later appointed bishop in the diocese of Selsey in the south-east of England. This is probably the reason why the earliest traces of a liturgical cult of St Olaf are found in England. An office, or prayer service, for St Olaf is found in the so-called Leofric collectar (c. 1050), which was bequeathed in his last will and testament by Bishop Leofric of Exeter to Exeter Cathedral, in the neighbouring diocese to Selsey. This English cult seems to have been short-lived.
Adam of Bremen, writing around 1070, mentions pilgrimage to the saint's shrine in Nidaros, but this is the only firm trace we have of a cult of St. Olaf in Norway before the middle of the twelfth century. By this time he was also being referred to as "The Eternal King of Norway". In 1152/3, Nidaros was separated from Lund as the archbishopric of Nidaros. It is likely that whatever formal or informal — which, we do not know — veneration of Olav as a saint there may have been in Nidaros prior to this, was emphasised and formalized on this occasion.
During the visit of the papal legate, Nicholas Brekespear (later Pope Adrian IV), the poem Geisli ("the ray of sun") was recited. In this poem, we hear for the first time of miracles performed by St. Olaf. One is the killing and throwing onto the mountain of a still visible sea serpent. One of these took place on the day of his death, when a blind man got his eyesight back again after having rubbed his eyes with hands that were stained with the blood from the saint.
The texts which were used for the liturgical celebration of St. Olaf during most of the Middle Ages were probably compiled or written by Eystein Erlendsson, the second Archbishop of Norway (1161–1189). The nine miracles reported in Geisli form the core of the catalogue of miracles in this office.
The celebration of St. Olaf was widespread in the Nordic countries. Apart from the early traces of a cult in England, there are only scattered references to him outside of the Nordic area. Several churches in England were dedicated to him (often as St Olave). St Olave's Church, York is referred to in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle for 1055 as the place of burial of its founder Earl Siward. This is generally accepted to be the earliest datable church foundation to Olaf and is further evidence of a cult of St Olaf in the early 1050s in England. St Olave Hart Street in the City of London is the burial place of Samuel Pepys and his wife. Another south of London Bridge gave its name to Tooley Street and to the St Olave's Poor Law Union, later to become the Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey: its workhouse in Rotherhithe became the St Olave's Hospital, now an old-people's home a few hundred metres from St Olaf's Church, which is the Norwegian Church in London. It also led to the naming of St Olave's Grammar School, which was established in 1571 and up until 1968 was situated in Tooley Street. In 1968 the school was moved to Orpington, Kent.
St. Olaf was also, together with the Mother of God, the patron saint of the chapel of the Varangians, the Scandinavian warriors who served as the bodyguard of the Byzantine emperor. This church is believed to have been located near the church of Hagia Irene in Constantinople. The icon of the Madonna Nicopeia, presently in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, which is believed to have been one traditionally carried into combat by the Byzantine military forces, is believed to have been kept in this chapel in times of peace. Thus St. Olaf was also the last saint to be venerated by both the Western and Eastern churches before the Great Schism.
There is also an altar dedicated to St. Olaf in the church of Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso in Rome with a painting of the saint given to Pope Leo XIII in 1893 on the occasion of the golden jubilee of his ordination as a bishop by Wilhelm Wedel-Jarlsberg as its altarpiece.
Recently the pilgrimage route to Nidaros Cathedral, the site of St. Olav's tomb, has been reinstated. Following the Norwegian spelling the route is known as Saint Olav's Way. The main route, which is approximately 640 km long, starts in the ancient part of Oslo and heads North, along Lake Mjosa, up the Gudbrandsdal Valley, over Dovrefjell and down the Oppdal Valley to end at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. There is a Pilgrim's Office in Oslo which gives advice to Pilgrims, and a Pilgrim Centre in Trondheim, under the aegis of the Cathedral, which awards certificates to successful Pilgrims upon the completion of their journey.
On July 29-th, Faroe Islands celebrates Olavsøka (Saint Olaf celebration), the National Day also, when they remember Saint Olaf, the king who Christianized the islands.
Propers of the Mass for the Feast of St. Olaf
Entrance Verse:
Let us all rejoice in the Lord on the feast of blessed Olav, Norway's eternal king. The angels exult over his martyrdom and praise the Son of God.
Opening Prayer (Collect):
Almighty, eternal God, you are the crown of kings and the triumph of martyrs. We know that your blessed martyr, Olav, intercedes for us before your face. We praise your greatness in his death and we pray you, give us the crown of life that you have promised those who love you, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Old Testament Reading: Wisdom of Solomon 10: 10–14.
Responsory Psalm: Psalm 31 (30): 1–7 with the response: "Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit."
Epistle: James 1: 2–4, 12.
Allelua Verse:
Alleluia. Holy Olav, you who rejoice with the angels of heaven, pray for us that we may be worthy to present our sacrifice of praise before the Lord. Alleluia.
Gospel: Matthew 16:24–28
Prayer over the Offerings (Secret):
Almighty God, in awe we call upon your inscrutable might. Make holy these created things which you have chosen so that they may become the body and blood of Christ, your Son. Through the intercession of the holy Olav, king and martyr, let them for the salvation of body and soul. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Verse:
Great is his glory through your saving help. With glory and honor will you clothe him, Lord.
Closing Prayer (Postcommunion):
We who have been fed at the table of the Lamb implore you, almighty God, through the intercession of your blessed martyr Olav let us always stand under the protection of your Son who redeemed us by his death on the cross, he who lives and reigns from eternity to eternity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaf_II_of_Norway
Olaf II Haraldsson (Old Norse: Óláfr Haraldsson) (995 – July 29, 1030) was king of Norway from 1015 to 1028, (known during his lifetime as "the Big" (Óláfr Digre) and after his canonization as Saint Olaf or Olaus). His mother was Åsta Gudbrandsdatter, and his father was Harald Grenske, great-great-grandchild of Harald Fairhair. In modern day Scandinavia he is known as Olav den Hellige ("Olaf the Holy") or Heilag-Olav ("Holy Olaf") as a result of his sainthood.
Concerning the king's name
King Olaf Haraldsson of Norway had the given name Óláfr in Old Norse. (Etymology: Anu – "forefather", Leifr – "heir".) Olav is the modern equivalent in Norwegian, formerly often spelt Olaf. His name in Icelandic is Ólafur, in Faroese Ólavur, in Danish Oluf, in Swedish Olof, the Norse-Gaels called him Amlaíb and in Waterford it is Olave[citation needed]. Olave was also the traditional spelling in England, preserved in the name of medieval churches dedicated to him. Other names, such as Oláfr hinn helgi, Olavus rex, and Olaf (as used in English) are used interchangeably (see the Heimskringla of Snorri Sturluson). He is sometimes referred to as Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae, eternal King of Norway, a designation which goes back to the thirteenth century. The term Ola Nordmann as epithet of the archetypal Norwegian may originate in this tradition, as the name Olav for centuries was the most common male name in Norway.
Reign
Olaf was the subject of several biographies, both hagiographies and sagas, in the Middle Ages, and many of the historical facts concerning his reign are disputed. The best known description is the one in Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla, from c. 1230. That saga cannot be taken as an accurate source for Olaf's life, but most of the following description is based on the narrative there.
After some years' absence in England, fighting the Danes, he returned to Norway in 1015 and declared himself king, obtaining the support of the five petty kings of the Uplands. In 1016 he defeated Earl Sweyn, hitherto the virtual ruler of Norway, at the Battle of Nesjar. He founded the town Borg by the waterfall Sarpr, later to be known as Sarpsborg. Within a few years he had won more power than had been enjoyed by any of his predecessors on the throne.
He had annihilated the petty kings of the South, subdued the aristocracy, enforced the acceptance of Christianity throughout the kingdom, asserted his suzerainty in the Orkney Islands, and conducted a successful raid on Denmark. He made peace with King Olof Skötkonung of Sweden through Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker, and was for some time engaged to his daughter, Princess Ingegerd Olofsdotter, though without Olof's approval.
In 1019, Olaf married Astrid Olofsdotter, Olof's illegitimate daughter and half-sister of his former fiancée. Their daughter Wulfhild married Ordulf, Duke of Saxony in 1042. Numerous royal, grand ducal and ducal lines are descended from Ordulf and Wulfrid, including the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Maud of Wales, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, was the mother of King Olav V of Norway, so Olav and his son Harald V, the present king of Norway, are thus descended from Olaf.
But Olaf's success was short-lived. In 1026 he lost the Battle of the Helgeå, and in 1029 the Norwegian nobles, seething with discontent, supported the invasion of King Cnut of Denmark. Olaf was driven into exile in Kievan Rus. During the exile he stayed some time in Sweden in the province of Nerike where, according to local legend, he baptized many locals. In 1030, Cnut's Norwegian vassal king, Jarl Håkon Eiriksson, was lost at sea. Olaf seized the opportunity to win back the kingdom, but he fell at the Battle of Stiklestad, where some of his own subjects from central Norway were arrayed against him.
Olaf, a rather stubborn and rash ruler, prone to rough treatment of his enemies, ironically became Norway's patron saint. His canonization was performed only a year after his death by bishop Grimkell. The cult of Olaf not only unified the country, it also fulfilled the conversion of the nation, something for which the king had fought so hard. While divisive in life, in death Olaf wielded a unifying power no foreign monarch could hope to undo.
Cnut, though distracted by the task of administrating England, managed to rule Norway for five years after Stiklestad, with his son Svein as viceroy. However, when Olaf's illegitimate son Magnus (dubbed 'the Good') laid claim to the Norwegian throne, Cnut had to yield. A century of prosperity and expansion followed, lasting until the kingdom again descended into a civil war over succession.
Sainthood
Owing to Olaf's later status as the patron saint of Norway, and to his importance in later medieval historiography and in Norwegian folklore, it is difficult to assess the character of the historical Olaf. Judging from the bare outlines of known historical facts, he appears, more than anything else, as a fairly unsuccessful ruler, who had his power based on some sort of alliance with the much more powerful king Cnut the Great; who was driven into exile when he claimed a power of his own; and whose attempt at a reconquest was swiftly crushed.
This calls for an explanation of the status he gained after his death. Three factors are important: his role in the Christianization of Norway, the various dynastic relationships among the ruling families, and the needs for legitimization in a later period.
Conversion of Norway
Olaf and Olaf Tryggvasson together were the driving force behind Norway's final conversion to Christianity.[3][citation needed] However, large stone crosses and other Christian symbols suggest that at least the coastal areas of Norway were deeply influenced by Christianity long before Olav's time; with one exception, all the rulers of Norway back to Håkon the Good (c. 920–961) had been Christians; and Olav's main opponent, Cnut the Great, was a Christian ruler. What seems clear is that Olav made efforts to establish a church organization on a broader scale than before, among other things by importing bishops from England and Germany, and that he tried to enforce Christianity also in the inland areas, which had the least communication with the rest of Europe, and which economically were more strongly based on agriculture, so that the inclination to hold on to the former fertility cult would have been stronger than in the more diversified and expansive western parts of the country.
Although Olav was certainly not the first to introduce Christianity to Norway, he established the first codification of the faith in 1024, thus laying the basis for the Church of Norway.[4] So high did Olaf's legal arrangements for the Church of Norway come to stand in the eyes of the Norwegian people and clergy, that when Pope Gregory VII attempted to make clerical celibacy binding on the priests of Western Europe in 1074–5, the Norwegians largely ignored this, since there was no mention of clerical celibacy in Olaf's legal code for their Church. Only after Norway was made an metropolitan province with its own archbishop in 1151—which made the Norwegian church, on the one hand, more independent of its king, but, on the other hand, more directly responsible to the Pope — did canon law gain a greater predominance in the life and jurisdiction of the Norwegian church.
Sigrid Undset noted that Olaf was baptized in Rouen, the capital of Normandy, and suggested that Olaf used priests of Norman descent for his missionaries. These priests would be of Norwegian descent, could speak the language, and shared the culture of the people they were to convert. Since the Normans themselves had only been in Normandy for about two generations, these priests might, at least in some cases, be distant cousins of their new parishioners and thus less likely to be killed when Olaf and his army departed. The few surviving manuscripts and the printed missal used in Archdiocese of Nidaros show a clear dependence on the missals used in Normandy[citation needed].
Olaf's dynasty
For various reasons, most importantly the death of King Knut the Great in 1035, but perhaps even a certain discontent among Norwegian nobles with the Danish rule in the years after Olaf's death in 1030, his illegitimate son with the concubine Alvhild, Magnus the Good, assumed power in Norway, and eventually also in Denmark. Numerous churches in Denmark were dedicated to Olaf during his reign, and the sagas give glimpses of similar efforts to promote the cult of his deceased father on the part of the young king. This would become typical in the Scandinavian monarchies. It should be remembered that in pagan times the Scandinavian kings derived their right to rule from their claims of descent from the Norse god Odin, or in the case of the kings of the Swedes at Old Uppsala, from Freyr. In Christian times this legitimation of a dynasty's right to rule and its national prestige would be based on its descent from a saintly king. Thus the kings of Norway promoted the cult of St. Olaf, the kings of Sweden the cult of St. Erik and the kings of Denmark the cult of St. Canute, just as in England the Norman and Plantagenet kings similarly promoted the cult of St. Edward the Confessor at Westminster Abbey, their coronation church.
Saint Olaf
Among the bishops that Olaf brought with him from England, was Grimkell (Grimkillus). He was probably the only one of the missionary bishops who was left in the country at the time of Olaf's death, and he stood behind the translation and beatification of Olaf on August 3, 1031. Grimkell later became the first bishop of Sigtuna in Sweden.
At this time, local bishops and their people recognized and proclaimed a person a saint, and a formal canonization procedure through the papal curia was not customary; in Olaf's case, this did not happen until 1888.
Grimkell was later appointed bishop in the diocese of Selsey in the south-east of England. This is probably the reason why the earliest traces of a liturgical cult of St Olaf are found in England. An office, or prayer service, for St Olaf is found in the so-called Leofric collectar (c. 1050), which was bequeathed in his last will and testament by Bishop Leofric of Exeter to Exeter Cathedral, in the neighbouring diocese to Selsey. This English cult seems to have been short-lived.
Adam of Bremen, writing around 1070, mentions pilgrimage to the saint's shrine in Nidaros, but this is the only firm trace we have of a cult of St. Olaf in Norway before the middle of the twelfth century. By this time he was also being referred to as "The Eternal King of Norway". In 1152/3, Nidaros was separated from Lund as the archbishopric of Nidaros. It is likely that whatever formal or informal — which, we do not know — veneration of Olav as a saint there may have been in Nidaros prior to this, was emphasised and formalized on this occasion.
During the visit of the papal legate, Nicholas Brekespear (later Pope Adrian IV), the poem Geisli ("the ray of sun") was recited. In this poem, we hear for the first time of miracles performed by St. Olaf. One is the killing and throwing onto the mountain of a still visible sea serpent. One of these took place on the day of his death, when a blind man got his eyesight back again after having rubbed his eyes with hands that were stained with the blood from the saint.
The texts which were used for the liturgical celebration of St. Olaf during most of the Middle Ages were probably compiled or written by Eystein Erlendsson, the second Archbishop of Norway (1161–1189). The nine miracles reported in Geisli form the core of the catalogue of miracles in this office.
The celebration of St. Olaf was widespread in the Nordic countries. Apart from the early traces of a cult in England, there are only scattered references to him outside of the Nordic area. Several churches in England were dedicated to him (often as St Olave). St Olave's Church, York is referred to in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle for 1055[5] as the place of burial of its founder Earl Siward. This is generally accepted to be the earliest datable church foundation to Olaf and is further evidence of a cult of St Olaf in the early 1050s in England. St Olave Hart Street in the City of London is the burial place of Samuel Pepys and his wife. Another south of London Bridge gave its name to Tooley Street and to the St Olave's Poor Law Union, later to become the Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey: its workhouse in Rotherhithe became the St Olave's Hospital, now an old-people's home a few hundred metres from St Olaf's Church, which is the Norwegian Church in London. It also led to the naming of St Olave's Grammar School, which was established in 1571 and up until 1968 was situated in Tooley Street. In 1968 the school was moved to Orpington, Kent.
St. Olaf was also, together with the Mother of God, the patron saint of the chapel of the Varangians, the Scandinavian warriors who served as the bodyguard of the Byzantine emperor. This church is believed to have been located near the church of Hagia Irene in Constantinople. The icon of the Madonna Nicopeia[1], presently in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, which is believed to have been one traditionally carried into combat by the Byzantine military forces, is believed to have been kept in this chapel in times of peace. Thus St. Olaf was also the last saint to be venerated by both the Western and Eastern churches before the Great Schism.
There is also an altar dedicated to St. Olaf in the church of Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso in Rome with a painting of the saint given to Pope Leo XIII in 1893 on the occasion of the golden jubilee of his ordination as a bishop by Wilhelm Wedel-Jarlsberg as its altarpiece.
Recently the pilgrimage route to Nidaros Cathedral, the site of St. Olav's tomb, has been reinstated. Following the Norwegian spelling the route is known as Saint Olav's Way. The main route, which is approximately 640 km long, starts in the ancient part of Oslo and heads North, along Lake Mjosa, up the Gudbrandsdal Valley, over Dovrefjell and down the Oppdal Valley to end at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. There is a Pilgrim's Office in Oslo which gives advice to Pilgrims, and a Pilgrim Centre in Trondheim, under the aegis of the Cathedral, which awards certificates to successful Pilgrims upon the completion of their journey.
On July 29-th, Faroe Islands celebrates Olavsøka (Saint Olaf celebration), the National Day also, when they remember Saint Olaf, the king who Christianized the islands.
Propers of the Mass for the Feast of St. Olaf
Entrance Verse:
Let us all rejoice in the Lord on the feast of blessed Olav, Norway's eternal king. The angels exult over his martyrdom and praise the Son of God.
Opening Prayer (Collect):
Almighty, eternal God, you are the crown of kings and the triumph of martyrs. We know that your blessed martyr, Olav, intercedes for us before your face. We praise your greatness in his death and we pray you, give us the crown of life that you have promised those who love you, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Old Testament Reading: Wisdom of Solomon 10: 10–14.
Responsory Psalm: Psalm 31 (30): 1–7 with the response: "Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit."
Epistle: James 1: 2–4, 12.
Allelua Verse:
Alleluia. Holy Olav, you who rejoice with the angels of heaven, pray for us that we may be worthy to present our sacrifice of praise before the Lord. Alleluia.
Gospel: Matthew 16:24–28
Prayer over the Offerings (Secret):
Almighty God, in awe we call upon your inscrutable might. Make holy these created things which you have chosen so that they may become the body and blood of Christ, your Son. Through the intercession of the holy Olav, king and martyr, let them for the salvation of body and soul. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Verse:
Great is his glory through your saving help. With glory and honor will you clothe him, Lord.
Closing Prayer (Postcommunion):
We who have been fed at the table of the Lamb implore you, almighty God, through the intercession of your blessed martyr Olav let us always stand under the protection of your Son who redeemed us by his death on the cross, he who lives and reigns from eternity to eternity.[6]
Other instances of St Olaf
Faroe stamp featuring St. OlavSt. Olaf College was founded by Norwegian immigrant Bernt Julius Muus in Northfield, Minnesota, in 1874.
St Olav's Church is the tallest church in Tallinn, Estonia, and between 1549 and 1625 was the tallest building in the world.
The coat of arms of the Church of Norway contains two axes, the instruments of Saint Olav's martyrdom.
The oldest picture of St. Olav is painted on a column in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
The only country which keeps July 29 as a holiday is the Faroe Islands; see Ólavsøka.
The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav was founded in 1847 by Oscar I, king of Norway and Sweden, in memory of this king.
Saint Olaf Catholic Church [2] in downtown Minneapolis and the statue of the saint from the sanctuary.[3]
The Tower of St. Olav is the only remaining tower of the Vyborg Castle
T.S.C Sint Olof is a Dutch student organisation with St. Olav as its patron.
Olav den helligeFra Wikipedia, den frie encyklopedi Gå til: navigasjon, søk Mangler kilder: Denne artikkelen inneholder påstander som trenger kildehenvisninger, enten fordi de er kontroversielle eller vanskelige å verifisere. Slike påstander kan bli fjernet. Olav II Haraldsson Konge av Norge
Navn: Olav den hellige Olav Digre Regjeringstid: 1015–1028 Født: 995, Ringerike Død: 29. juli 1030, slaget på Stiklestad Foreldre: Harald Grenske og Åsta Gudbrandsdatter Ektefelle(r): Astrid Olofsdatter, datter av Olof Skötkonung av Sverige Barn: Magnus (1024–1047) Ulvhild Olavsdatter, f. 1020 i Borg, d. i Saksen 24 mai 1071; g. m. Ordulf av Saksen (1020–1072)
Olav den hellige Konge og martyr Helligkåret 1031 Anerkjent av Den katolske kirke og Den ortodokse kirke Festdag 29. juli (Olsok) Se også Ekstern biografi Vernehelgen Norge I kunsten Konge med sverd, øks eller spyd.
Olav II (Haraldsson) den hellige (Óláfr Haraldsson, Óláfr hinn helgi) (født 995 på Ringerike, død 29. juli 1030 på Stiklestad), gravlagt i Nidaros, var Norges konge fra 1015 til 1028. Han er blant annet kjent for å ha felt London Bridge på en av sine vikingferder og for å være en sentral skikkelse i kristningen av Norge. Erklært helgen 3. august 1031. St. Olavs skrin i Nidarosdomen var et viktig nordisk valfartssted til reformasjonen i 1537.
Innhold 1 Bakgrunn 2 Oppvekst og impulser fra utlandet 3 Tilbake til Norge 4 Kristningen av Norge 5 Knut den mektige erobrer Norge - Olav rømmer 6 Olavs hjemkomst og slaget på Stiklestad 7 Helgenkongen 8 Arven etter Olav 8.1 Kristen helgenkultus 8.2 Olav i nasjonal retorikk 9 Referanser 10 Litteratur 11 Eksterne lenker
Bakgrunn [rediger]
St Olav fra Austevoll kirke i Sunnhordland fra ca 1450. Dragen med menneskehode som Olav tråkker på symboliserer hedenskapenHan ble født på Ringerike, og var sønn av Harald Grenske, og dermed tippoldebarn av Harald Hårfagre på farssiden. Hans mor var Åsta Gudbrandsdatter.
Harald Grenske døde da Åsta gikk gravid med Olav. Hun giftet seg senere med Sigurd Syr, som var en fredelig mann som likte bondeyrket sitt. Han var en rolig, sindig mann, klok og lovkyndig.[trenger referanse] Olav vokste opp på storgården hans.
Snorre Sturlason skildrer ham slik: «Han ble snart en kjekk kar. Han var vakker å se til, middels høy av vekst. Han var svært tettvoksen, hadde store krefter, lysebrunt hår, bredt ansikt, lys hud og rødlett ansikt. Han hadde usedvanlige gode øyne, de var vakre og så kvasse at en kunne bli redd for å se ham i øynene når han ble sint. Olav var svær i idretter og kunne mange ting. Han var god til å skyte med bue og siktet godt. Han kastet spyd bedre enn de fleste, var hendig og hadde et sikkert øye for all slags håndverk. Han ble kalt Olav Digre. (Det norrøne ordet kan bety tykk eller grovbygd, mest sannsynlig det siste, siden han selv likte dette tilnavnet). Han talte djervt og kvikt, var tidlig voksen i alle ting, både i styrke og vett, og alle frender og kjenninger var glade i ham. Han var ærekjær i leik, ville alltid være den første.»[trenger referanse]
Han hadde ikke så godt forhold til stefaren. Trolig var Olav veldig klar over den slekten han kom fra, og så litt ned på Sigurd Syr som var en slik ivrig bonde.[trenger referanse]
Oppvekst og impulser fra utlandet [rediger]12 år gammel dro Olav på sitt første vikingtokt. Med aner fra Hårfagre-ætten hadde han både villskap, griskhet, hevnlyst, grusomhet og et lettferdig forhold til kvinner, men også mer positive egenskaper som evnen til å organisere, styre og samle. Alt dette er egenskaper som gjorde at han likte livet som viking. Som tenåring dro han på tokt i Austerveg. Først noen år i Østersjølandene, deretter møtte han en jomsviking i Danmark som het Torkjell Høge, som han slo seg sammen med. Deretter herjet de sammen i England. De forsøkte å ta London, og i år 1011 tok de Canterbury.
Olav så det som sitt kall å samle Norge til ett rike, slik som hans forfar Harald Hårfagre i stor grad greide. På vei hjemover - etter en snartur nedom Spania og Karlså (sannsynligvis dagens Cadiz) - overvintrer han hos hertug Richard II av Normandie (1013-1014) (Frankrike). Denne regionen hadde normannerne (norske og danske vikinger) erobret i år 881, og de fikk beholde området i lovnad mot å ikke angripe resten av landet. De skulle også forsvare landet mot fremmede makter.
Her fikk Olav mange kristne impulser. Hertugen selv var en ivrig kristen, og normannerne var også kristnet. Siden Olav knapt hadde bodd hjemme, hadde han også liten tilknytning til Åsatroen, noe som nok gjorde ham mer åpen for disse impulsene. Han lot seg etterhvert døpe i Rouen (hovedstaden i Normandie). Under tiden sin her hørte han mange historier om gamle hendelser og helter, og særlig én gjorde inntrykk på ham - Karl den Store (Karla-Magnus) (ca. år 800). Han ble i stor grad Olavs forbilde som konge. Olavs sønn fikk navnet Magnus av Sigvat Skald, oppkalt etter Karla-Magnus.
På vei mot Norge dro Olav innom England. I år 1014 hjalp han anglo-sakserkongen Adalred II med å gjenvinne London fra danene, og rev i den anledning ned London bro. Den engelske barnereglen «London Bridge is falling down» kan ha sin rot i denne hendelsen. Olav ble rikt belønnet av Adalred for hjelpen. Han la igjen langskipene her, og reiste videre med handelsskip. Dette var høsten 1015.
Tilbake til Norge [rediger]Olav kom da til et politisk og religiøst splittet Norge. Etter Olav Tryggvasons død ved slaget ved Svolder ble landet delt mellom seierherrene: danskekongen, svenskekongen og ladejarlene. I tillegg var Norge i stor grad et ættesamfunn. Man tjente da først og fremst familien, som ble styrt av familiens mannlige overhode. Blodhevn var også vanlig. Det var lite som lignet på et samlet rike, og det var lite grobunn for innføringen av kristendommen. Imidlertid var ættesamfunnet noe på tilbakegang da Olav kom til Norge, og det hadde vokst fram bygdesamfunn og småriker, med høvdinger og småkonger. Herredsting og lagting var også etablert. Likevel skulle det bli en vanskelig jobb å kristne og samle et slikt rike, der selv jarlene og høvdinger som Erling Skjalgsson, Kalv Arneson, Hårek på Tjøtta og Tore Hund først og fremst tenkte på ættens fremgang.
Noe av det første Olav gjorde, var å ta Eirik Jarl (963 - 1024) sin sønn, Håkon til fange, og ga han grid mot at han forlot landet og reiste til sin far, Eirik jarl, i England. Etter dette begynte han arbeidet med å bygge seg opp makt, først ved å bli småkonge i Opplandene, der han kom fra. Kristningen ventet han med. Etter slaget mot Svein Jarl i Langesundfjorden ble han konge over Viken og Agder. Deretter tok han turen til Trøndelag, der han ble hyllet til konge, og senere også i Inntrøndelag. På vei sørover derfra ble han også kronet i ting etter ting. Dermed var han snart konge over hele Midt- og Sør-Norge.
Etter dette sluttet Olav fred med svenskekongen, og som en del av avtalen skulle han få gifte seg med datteren hans. Men innen bryllupet fant sted hadde svenskekongen giftet henne bort til fyrst Jaroslav i Novgorod. For å bøte på dette, rømte svenskekongens andre datter til Norge og giftet seg med Olav. Da dette var ordnet, dro Olav til Hålogaland og ble gjort til konge her også, og var i prinsippet konge over hele Norge.
Landet styrte Olav fra Borg, senere Sarpsborg, byen han selv grunnla i 1016. Etter å ha seilt opp Glomma nådde hans skip fossen Sarpr, idag kjent som Sarpsfossen. Fossen kunne ikke passeres, og kongen gikk derfor i land, og slo seg til slutt ned på oversiden av den. Byen Borg ble Norges hovedstad, og kongen lot bygge en voll rundt hele byen. Deler av vollen finnes den dag i dag. Da Olav giftet seg med svenske Astrid, var kongehus i en rekke land representert. Olav var også vert for andre bryllup og feiringer hjemme i Borg.
Kristningen av Norge [rediger]Kristendommen hadde på denne tiden begynt å få fotfeste i Norge, med ganske spredd, og mange var kristne i navnet, men fulgte ikke den kristne tro så nøye. Det var besluttet på lagtingene rundt i Norge at kristendommen skulle innføres. Noen steder var det problematisk å kristne folket, mens de fleste steder gikk det greit. Snorre Sturlason forteller historier om folk som ble drept eller lemlestet når de nektet å oppta den nye troen. Olav hadde også tatt med seg 4 biskoper fra England. Den viktigste av disse var bisp Grimkjell. Han var Olavs nærmeste i kirkesaker.
Ca. 1023 ble det avholdt et kirkemøte på Moster, med biskopene og kongens menn, der kristenretten skulle vedtas på Mostratinget; det vil si Kirkens lover. På dette tinget ble kirken knyttet til kongen, som en statskirke. Den nye loven omtales som «Det store sedskifte». Loven (1024) begynte slik: «Det første i vår lov er at vi skal bøye oss mot aust og be til Kvite Krist om godt år og fred, at vi må halde landet vårt bygd og drotten vår ved helse. Han være vår ven og vi hans vener og Gud være ven åt oss alle.»
Her ble det blant annet forbud mot å sette ut barn og treller skulle kjøpes fri. Flerkoneri blir forbudt. Nyfødte barn skal få leve og ikke settes ut i skog eller mark. Det blir satt strenge straffer for voldtekt og kvinneran. Kjøttmat blir forbudt på fredager. Det skal fastes hele syv uker før påske. Det blir nedlagt forbud mot å gifte seg med slektninger inntil syvende ledd. Nyfødte barn skal føres til kirken for å døpes. Det blir forbudt å gravlegge de døde i hauger eller røyser som i hedensk tid. Liket skal føres til kirken og begraves i hellig jord. Begravelse i vigslet jord blir nektet udådsmenn, kongesvikere, mordere, tyver og selvmordere. Kirker skal bygges i hvert fylke. Biskopen rår over dem og skal tilsette prester. Menn innenfor fylkesgrensene har ansvar for kirkenes vedlikehold og prestenes underhold.
Olav reiste mye rundt etter dette, for å holde ting med bøndene, og lese opp kristenretten. Her møtte han mye motstand, fordi disse lovene stred mot de skikkene som ble praktisert. Olav truet med både død og lemlestelse, og tap av eiendom. På denne måten skaffet han seg mange fiender. Han praktiserte likhet for loven, dvs at storfolk ble straffet på samme måte som bønder.
Knut den mektige erobrer Norge - Olav rømmer [rediger]I 1028 kom Knut den mektige til Norge med 50 krigsskip. Han var da konge over Danmark og England. Med sin enorme rikdom kjøpte han seg allierte blant stormennene, og de ble lovet stor makt og etterlengtet frihet fra Olavs harde styre dersom de støttet ham. Olav ble sviktet også av sine hærmenn, og måtte til slutt flykte. Biskop Grimkjell ble igjen for å styre kirken. Så drog han med sønnen Magnus og en håndfull trofaste menn til Gardarike (Russland). Han slo seg ned i Novgorod, hvor han ble vel mottatt av storfyrst Jaroslav og hans fyrstinne Ingegjerd av Sverige, som Olav i sin tid skulle hatt til ekte. Knut blir hyllet til konge på Øretinget, og gjorde Håkon Jarls sønnesønn Håkon Eiriksson til sin jarl i Norge
Jaroslav tilbyr Olav å bli konge i Volga-Bulgaria, noe han avslår. Olav vil bare ha tilbake sitt rike, Norge. Snorre Sturlason beskriver en drøm Olav har, der Olav Tryggvason åpenbarer seg for ham, og sier at han må følge Guds vilje og gjøre det som er rett. Han må la Gud bestemme om det skal bli seier eller tap. Olav får også høre at Håkon Jarl druknet i et skipsforlis, dette gjør at han bestemmer seg for å dra tilbake til Norge.
Olavs hjemkomst og slaget på Stiklestad [rediger]
Olav faller på slagmarken. Tegnet for den illustrerte Snorreutgaven av Halfdan Egedius. Torgils og Grim bærer Olavs lik bort fra slagmarken. Tegnet for Snorres Norge Kongesagaer. Heimskringla (1899) av Halfdan Egedius. Peter Nicolai Arbos romantiske maleri Olav den Helliges død fra 1859. Alterbilde fra Nidaros som viser Olavs død på Striklestad. Olav den helliges død. Miniatyrbilde.Olav reiser tilbake til Norge, og rir opp til Trøndelag. Like før slaget ved Stiklestad sover han litt, og drømmer at han klatrer oppover en stige som når helt opp i himmelen. Han lover sine menn at Gud vil gi dem større lønn enn gleden over verdslige verdier. De kjemper tappert, men Olav faller, og invasjonen blir stoppet. Olav gjorde kanskje en dårlig avgjørelse da han gikk for å ta Trøndelag, der han var minst populær, og møtte en hær mye større enn sin egen. Olav dør av hogg i halsen, magen og låret. Snorre hevder at det var Kalv Arnesson som hogg kongen i halsen, Tore Hund som stakk spydet i magen på kongen og Torstein Knarresmed som hogg kongen i låret. Dette var 29. juli 1030.
Snorres framstilling av kong Olavs død samsvarer med blant annet motivet på en portal fra den nedrevne Hemsedal stavkirke. Portalen, som har som tema kong Olavs martyrium og status som kristusliknende helgen, viser at den kraften og styrken som Sankt Olav ble tillagt som kristningshelgen, har basis i den framgangsmåten som de tre hedenske krigerne fulgte da de drepte kongen under slaget på Stiklestad, kombinert med kongens oppførsel i denne sammenhengen. I både Snorres beretning og middelalderens bildelige skildringer er drapet av kongen gitt et preg av hedensk kult innenfor en kristen, mytisk ramme. Dette preget av et hedensk kultdrap dannet i sin tid grunnlaget for Sankt Olavs mytologisk baserte virkekraft i hedenske samfunn, slik det framgår av at det hedenske Trøndelag kunne legges under kristen kongemakt uten væpnet kamp kort tid etter Sankt Olavs martyrium og opphøyelse til helgen.[1] Snorres beretning om kong Olav og hans død under slaget på Stiklestad er således først og fremst å betrakte som en gjengivelse av en formfullendt helgenlegende som hadde til hensikt å fremme og konsolidere kristendommen i både hedenske og kristne samfunn.
Helgenkongen [rediger]Mange angret på at de hadde gått i mot Olav, og folk begynte å tenke på ham som en hellig mann. Det ble fortalt underlige historier om ting som skjedde med Olavs lik. Etter slaget på Stiklestad hadde liket til Olav blitt lagt inn i et skur. En blind mann skal ha gått inn dit om natta og gnidd seg i øynene med Olav sitt blod slik at han fikk tilbake synet. Bonden på Stiklestad tok med seg liket og gravla det ved Nidaros.
Det påstås at liket ble gravd opp året etter og at negler, hår og skjegg skulle ha grodd. Denne påstanden fikk folk til å mene at det hadde skjedd et under, og Olav fikk tilnavnet «den hellige». Senere reiste mange pilegrimer til Nidaros for å få hjelp og trøst av Olav den hellige. Det ble reist ei praktfull kirke i Nidaros til ære for Olav, og etter sin død klarte han det han ikke klarte mens han levde; å samle et kristent Norge til ett rike under en konge. Sankt Olav ble periodevis også en viktig helgen i de andre nordiske landene i middelalderen, og St. Olavs skrin i Nidaros ble et betydningsfullt pilegrimsmål [2].
Den lutherske reformasjonen i Danmark-Norge i 1536-1537 satte en stopper for valfartene til St. Olavs skrin i Nidarosdomen. De to kostbare ytterskrinene ble raskt ødelagt, mens den opprinnelige trekisten med helgenkongens legeme ble oppbevart på erkebiskop Olav Engelbrektssons borg Steinvikholm 1536-1564 og deretter i en da offentlig kjent grav i Nidarosdomen fram til 1568. Siden er stedet for denne graven blitt glemt.
Arven etter Olav [rediger]Etter sin død i 1030 ble Olav utnevnt til Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae - «Norges evige konge». Norges konger skulle i ettertiden regnes som hans vasaller. Dette kommer også til uttrykk i Norges riksvåpen, der løven holder en øks - et symbol på helgenkongen.
Den eldste teksten som hyllet Olav som helgen ble trolig skrevet allerede i 1032: Glælognskvida av Torarinn Lovtunge. Størst utbredelse fikk Passio Olavi fra ca 1170, en helgenvita som både ble en del av Gammelnorsk homiliebok og som i en kortversjon ble spredt over store deler av Europa. Blant andre tekster kan nevnes diktet Geisli, som først ble fremført i 1153, ved innvielsen av erkebiskopsetet i Nidaros.
Kristen helgenkultus [rediger]Østkirkelig venerasjon av Olav den hellige
St. Olav omtales rimeligvis oftest som en katolsk helgen, men også Den ortodokse kirke holder frem Olav Haraldsson som en stor norsk helgen. Ikke bare var han en del av den udelte Kirke før Det store skisma i 1054; han tilbragte også en viktig del av sitt liv i Russland. Da han forlot Russland, lot han sin sønn bli igjen i landet.
Olavskirker og -monumenter ble snart etter 1030 reist i store deler av den kristne verden, også i østlige egner som Novgorod, Viborg, Gdansk og Tallinn. Foruten Nidarosdomen er Ringsaker kirke og Avaldsnes kirke kjente olavskirker i Norge. Skt.Olai domkirke i Helsingør ligger like ved Kronborg slott på Sjælland i Danmark.. Olavskapellet i Konstantinopel skal ha oppbevart Olavs legendariske og mirakuløse sverd Bæsing.
Ortodokse ikonmalere har utvilet en egen olavsikonografi, og flere av de ortodokse kirkene i Oslo har Olavsikoner sentralt plassert eller som del av ikonostasen. Den norske ambassadørresidensen i Moskva huser også et russisk Olavsikon. Men det eldste kjente Olavsikonet i bysantinsk stil er fra 1200-tallet og finnes på én av søylene i Fødselskirken i Betlehem.
I Tromsø finnes Hl. Olav ortodokse kirkeforening, som er en del av Den ortodokse Kirke i Norge. Ortodokse olsokfeiringer har blant annet funnet sted i Nidaros, på Stiklestad og i Oslo.
Olav i nasjonal retorikk [rediger]Olavs liv og verk er tema i en rekke dikt, spel, drama, romaner og musikkverk.
Ludvig Irgens-Jensens oratorium Heimferd ble skrevet i 1930, i anledning 900-årsdagen for Olavs død. Det var på 30- og 40-tallet et av de mest populære musikkverk skrevet i Norge.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Olaf
Olav Haraldsson, kallad den helige (eller S:t Olof), på norska Olav den hellige eller Olav II, latin Olavus rex, född 995, död 29 juli 1030, var kung av Norge och är landets nationalhelgon. Han firas på Olsmässodagen, 29 juli. Han var son till Harald Grenske och gift med Astrid Olofsdotter av Sverige. De hade tillsammans ett barn, Ulfhild av Norge. Olofs ende son, Magnus den gode, var en illegitim avkomma. Olav var i yngre år en framgångsrik viking. Han plundrade i Mälaren, i Östersjön och runt Danmarks kuster. Han deltog i tronstridigheterna i England där han förstörde London Bridge. I Normandie antog han kristendomen. 1015 landsteg han med få män i Norge och tog makten från ladejarlarna Håkon Eriksson och Sven Håkonsson. 1016 grundlade han staden Borg som blev norsk huvudstad. Som kung fortsatte han att kristna Norge på samma hårdhänta sätt som släktingen Olav Tryggvason. 1028 lämnade han Norge, invaderade sedan landet med svenskt stöd och stupade i slaget vid Stiklestad 1030. Hans helighet uppenbarade sig genast genom ett stort antal underverk som skedde i närheten av hans, efter slaget undangömda, lik. Kort efter hans död byggdes domkyrkan Nidarosdomen i Trondheim, där hans reliker förvarades. Helgon [redigera]
Olof blev Nordens första och mest populära helgon. I svenska kyrkor förekommer han på kalkmålningar och altarskåp, som staty och i helgonskåp, ofta tillsammans med Erik den helige, på Skogbonaden även tillsammans med den danske Knut den helige. Han är sjömännens och böndernas skyddshelgon. Attribut: framställd som kung (d.v.s. med krona, ibland även riksäpple); stor stridsyxa (med böjd klinga) och underliggare. Legenden bakom hans underliggare och den i flera kyrkor bevarade scenen Sankt Olavs seglats är följande: ” Olav och hans hedniske broder Harald tävlade om Norges krona. Striden skulle avgöras genom en kappsegling, där Harald seglade i den snabbe Ormen och Olav förde den tunge, otymplige Oxen. Olavs seglats blev ett mirakel, Oxen for fram över både vatten och land, och trollen som försökte hindra färden flydde slagna till sina hålor.
Olav "den Hellige" or St. Olaf.
Olav was a son of Harald Grenske. He spent several years in viking (raiding), among other places in Normandy, where he was baptized. He came to Norway in the fall of 1015. Immediately after his return, he captured Earl Erik's son, Haakon, and ended the power of the smaller kings. The Easter of 1016 Olav conquered Earl Svein in the sea-battle at Nesjar, and was named king at Oreting. During the fight against the leading chiefs, Erling Skjalgson, Einar Tambarskjelve, Haarek of Tjøtta and Tore Hund (Dog) of Bjarkøy, he had support from the lower aristocracy. After becoming the sole ruler of Norway, he forcibly Christianized the inhabitants.
His internal enemies united with King Knut (Canute) the Great of Denmark and England, who then claimed Norway. Along with Ethelred "the Unready", King of England, he fought the Danes in England, tore down London Bridge (commemorated in nursery rhyme "London Bridge is falling down"). In the summer of 1028, Knut came to Norway with 50 battleships, and Olav went to Gardarike (Russia). In 1030 he came back, but was slain during eclipse of 31 Aug 1030 at Stiklestad fighting Canute, King of England and Denmark, outmanned by the army of Trøndelag. The year after his death, his body was taken from its original grave, placed in a coffin and placed on the altar of the Klements-church in Trondheim. He was from then on considered a saint.
Olav (den hellige) Haraldsson. Født 994, død 29.07.1030 i slaget på Stiklestad. I ung alder dro Olav på vikingtokter til Østersjøen (de Baltiske stater og Finland), England og Frankrike. Under et opphold i Frankrike tok han kristendommen og lot seg døpe i Rouen. Full av iver for den nye troen kom han tilbake til Norge i 1015, hvor han straks vant tilslutning og avsatte de opprørske småkongene på Opplandene og forbød deling av riket. Den brutale og harde fremferden hans førte til at han fikk mange fiender, blant disse var stormennene Kalv Arnesson, Hårek på Tjøtta og Thore Hund. Olav Haraldsson ble viet i Sarpsborg med den gjeve og gladlynte Astri Olavsdatter, prinsesse av Sverige. Hun var datter av svenskekongen Olav Eiriksson Skötkonung. Olav Haraldsson var Norges konge i årene 1015-1028, og er vår nasjonalhelgen under navnet Olav den hellige.
etter sin død den hellige, 995-1030, konge 1015-28, sønn av Harald Grenske. Oppholdt seg flere år på vikingferder, bl.a. i Normandie, hvor han ble døpt. Kom høsten 1015 til Norge. Fangetstraks etter hjemkomsten Eirik jarls sønn Håkon og gjorde slutt på småkongenes makt. I påsken 1016 seiret O. over Svein jarl isjøslaget ved Nesjar, og ble tatt til konge på Øreting. I kampenmot de ledende høvdinger, Erling Skjalgsson, EinarTambarskjelve, Hårek fr aTjøtta og Tore Hund fra Bjarkøy,støttet O. seg til det laver earistokrati. O.s rolle vedinnføringen av kristendommen i Norg eer grunnleggende. Hansinnenlandske fiender forente seg med Knu tden mektige, somgjorde krav på Norge. Da Knut sommeren 1028 ko mtil landet meden flåte på 50 skip, drog O. til Gardarike. I 1030 kom hantilbake, men falt på Stiklestad 29. juli i kamp mot en overlegentrøndersk hær. Allerede året etter ble hans legeme tatt opp. Detble lagt i et skrin og satt på høyalteret i Klementskirken iNidaros, og han ble dyrket som hellig.After his death: St. Olav. 995-1030. King from 1015-1028.
Konge i Norge 1015 - 1030. Sendt i viking av moren 12 år gammel. Kom tilbake 8 år senere, i 1015. Søkte tilflukt hos Jaroslav i Kiev i 1028. Hadde med seg sønne Magnus, 4 år. Kom tilbake 1030, men Magnus ble tilbake i Kiev. Solformørkelsen dagen for slaget på Stiklestad er beregnet til 31. august. Dette er derfor antagelig den korrekte dødsdatoen.
Det nåværende kongehus stammer fra Ynglingeætten gjennom Olav den Helliges datter Ulvhild (ca 1020-71), som var gift med hertug Otto (Ordulf) av Sachsen, og ble stammor til huset Oldenburg."
Leo, Europäische Stammtafeln, Band II, Frank Baron Freytag von Loringhoven, 1975, Isenburg, W. K. Prinz von, Reference: Page 75 ---------------------------------------- Ancestral File
name: Olaf II "The Saint" HARALDSSON KING OF NORWAY (AFN: 8HTG-LW)
sexo: male nacimiento: aproximadamente 0995
Of, Ringerike, Buskerud, Norway
defunción: 29 July 1030 , Stiklestad,, Norway entierro: 3 August 1030
St. Clemens-Kirke, Trondheim, Sor-Trondelag, Norway
matrimonio: 1 February 1019
, Sarpsborg, Ostfold, Norway
Padres
Padre: Harald "Graenske" GUDRODSSON (AFN: G6T4-2C) madre: Asta "Astrid" GUDBRANDSDATTER (AFN: G6T1-TW)
Matrimonios (3)
cónyuge:
Astrid Olafsdatter Queen Of NORWAY ;[PRINCESS OF SWEDEN] (AFN: 9B4J-W8) matrimonio: 1 February 1019 , Sarpsborg, Ostfold, Norway
Ocultar hijos (1)
hijo 1: Ulfhild OLAFSDATTER PRINCESS OF NORWAY (AFN: 91RP-LQ) sexo: female nacimiento: aproximadamente 1020
Of,, Norway
defunción: 24 April 1070
cónyuge: Alfhild Mrs HARALDSSON (AFN: XL4J-5N)
Ocultar hijos (1)
hijo 1: Magnus I "The Good" OLAFSSON KING OF NORWAY (AFN: XL4J-6T) sexo: male nacimiento: aproximadamente 1024
Of,,, Norway
defunción: 25 October 1047
cónyuge: Thorberga ARNIMSDATTER (AFN: XL4J-86)
Enviado por (1) pdownby3012815
Cita de este registro "Ancestral File," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.2.1/MWB7-RSN : accessed 2014-05-24), entry for Olaf II "The Saint" HARALDSSON KING OF NORWAY. --------------------------------------------
Olav Haraldsson, også kjent som Olav den Hellige, Olav Digre og Sankt Olav (gammelnorsk Óláfr Haraldsson og Óláfr hinn helgi), død 29. juli ca. 1030 på Stiklestad og gravlagt i Nidaros, var Norges konge fra 1015 til 1028. Han ble erklært som helgen av biskop Grimkjell 3. august ca. 1031. Olav Haraldssons mumifiserte lik ble oppbevart i St. Olavs skrin i Nidarosdomen fra om lag 1090. Dette var et viktig nordisk valfartssted fram til reformasjonen i 1537.
[http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olav_den_hellige]
Olav II Haraldsson «the Saint/Digre» den Hellige, king of No
http://genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00104684&tree=LEO
http://lind.no/nor/index.asp?lang=&emne=nor&person=Olav%20Haraldsson%20%28den%20heilage%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaf_the_Holy
http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olav_den_Hellige
http://www.snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Olav_2_Haraldsson_Den_Hellige/utdypning
http://www.thepeerage.com/p4290.htm#i42893
http://www.katolsk.no/biografi/olav/
Olaf Haraldsson (Old Norse Óláfr Haraldsson, 995 – July 29, 1030) was king of Norway from 1015 to 1028, (known during his lifetime as "the Big" (Óláfr Digre) and after his canonization as Saint Olaf or Olaus). His mother was Åsta Gudbrandsdatter, and his father was Harald Grenske, great-grandchild of Harald Fairhair. In modern day Norway he is known as Olav den Hellige ("Olaf the Holy") or Heilag-Olav ("Holy Olaf") as a result of his sainthood.
Concerning the king's name King Olaf Haraldsson of Norway had the given name Óláfr in Old Norse. (Etymology: Anu - "forefather", Leifr - "heir".) Olav is the modern equivalent in Norwegian, formerly often spelt Olaf. His name in Icelandic is Ólafur, in Faroese Ólavur, in Danish Oluf, in Swedish Olof, the Norse-Gaels called him Amlaíb and in Waterford it is Olave. Other names, such as Oláfr hinn helgi, Olavus rex, and Olaf (as used in English) are used interchangeably (see the Heimskringla of Snorri Sturluson). He is sometimes referred to as Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae, eternal King of Norway, a designation which goes back to the thirteenth century. The term Ola Nordmann as epithet of the archetypal Norwegian may originate in this tradition, as the name Olav for centuries was the most common male name in Norway.
Reign
Olaf was the subject of several biographies, both hagiographies and sagas, in the Middle Ages, and many of the historical facts concerning his reign are disputed. The best known description is the one in Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla, from c. 1230. That saga cannot be taken as an accurate source for Olaf's life, but most of the following description is based on the narrative there.
Norway during the reign of St. Olaf (1015–1028) showing areas under the control of hereditary chieftains (petty kingdoms).After some years' absence in England, fighting the Danes, he returned to Norway in 1015 and declared himself king, obtaining the support of the five petty kings of the Uplands. In 1016 he defeated Earl Sweyn, hitherto the virtual ruler of Norway, at the Battle of Nesjar. He founded the town Borg by the waterfall Sarpr, later to be known as Sarpsborg. Within a few years he had won more power than had been enjoyed by any of his predecessors on the throne.
He had annihilated the petty kings of the South, had crushed the aristocracy, enforced the acceptance of Christianity throughout the kingdom, asserted his suzerainty in the Orkney Islands, conducted a successful raid on Denmark, achieved peace with king Olof Skötkonung of Sweden through Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker, and was for some time, engaged to his daughter, the Princess of Sweden, Ingegerd Olofsdotter without his approval. After the end of her engagement to Olaf, Ingegerd married the Great Prince Yaroslav I of Kiev.
In 1019 Olaf married the illegitimate daughter of King Olof of Sweden and half-sister of his former bride, Astrid Olofsdotter. Their daughter Wulfhild married Duke Ordulf of Saxony in 1042. The present king of Norway, Harald V and his father Olav V are thus descended from Olaf, since the latter's mother Maud was the daughter of Edward VII of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, one of the numerous royal, grand ducal and ducal lines descended from Ordulf and Wulfrid.
But Olaf's success was short-lived. In 1026 he lost the Battle of the Helgeå, and in 1029 the Norwegian nobles, seething with discontent, rallied round the invading Cnut the Great of Denmark, forcing Olaf to flee to Kievan Rus. During the voyage he stayed some time in Sweden in the province of Nerike where, according to local legend, he baptized many locals. On his return a year later, seizing an opportunity to win back the kingdom after Cnut the Great's vassal as ruler of Norway, Håkon Jarl, was lost at sea, he fell at the Battle of Stiklestad, where some of his own subjects from central Norway were arrayed against him.
Olaf, a rather stubborn and rash ruler, prone to rough treatment of his enemies, ironically became Norway's patron saint. His canonization was performed only a year after his death by the bishop of Nidaros. The cult of Olaf not only unified the country, it also fulfilled the conversion of the nation, something for which the king had fought so hard.
While divisive in life, in death Olaf wielded a unifying power no foreign monarch could hope to undo.
Cnut, most distracted by the task of administrating England, managed to rule Norway for 5 years after the Battle of Stiklestad, through the viceroyship of his son Svein. However, when Olaf's illegitimate son Magnus (dubbed 'the Good') laid claim to the Norwegian throne, Cnut had to yield. A century of prosperity and expansion followed, lasting until the kingdom again descended into a civil war over succession.
Sainthood
Owing to Olaf's later status as the patron saint of Norway, and to his importance in later medieval historiography and in Norwegian folklore, it is difficult to assess the character of the historical Olaf. Judging from the bare outlines of known historical facts, he appears, more than anything else, as a fairly unsuccessful ruler, who had his power based on some sort of alliance with the much more powerful king Cnut the Great; who was driven into exile when he claimed a power of his own; and whose attempt at a reconquest was swiftly crushed.
Conversion of Norway
Olaf and Olaf Tryggvasson together were the driving force behind Norway's final conversion to Christianity. However, large stone crosses and other Christian symbols suggest that at least the coastal areas of Norway were deeply influenced by Christianity long before Olav's time; with one exception, all the rulers of Norway back to Håkon the Good (c. 920–961) had been Christians; and Olav's main opponent, Cnut the Great, was a Christian ruler. What seems clear is that Olav made efforts to establish a church organization on a broader scale than before, among other things by importing bishops from England and Germany, and that he tried to enforce Christianity also in the inland areas, which had the least communication with the rest of Europe, and which economically were more strongly based on agriculture, so that the inclination to hold on to the former fertility cult would have been stronger than in the more diversified and expansive western parts of the country.
Although Olav was certainly not the first to introduce Christianity to Norway, he established the first codification of the faith in 1024, thus laying the basis for the Church of Norway. So high did Olaf's legal arrangements for the Church of Norway come to stand in the eyes of the Norwegian people and clergy, that when Pope Gregory VII attempted to make clerical celibacy binding on the priests of Western Europe in 1074-5, the Norwegians largely ignored this, since there was no mention of clerical celibacy in Olaf's legal code for their Church. Only after Norway was made an metropolitan province with its own archbishop in 1151—which made the Norwegian church, on the one hand, more independent of its king, but, on the other hand, more directly responsible to the Pope — did canon law gain a greater predominance in the life and jurisdiction of the Norwegian church.
Sigrid Undset noted that Olaf was baptized in Rouen, the capital of Normandy, and suggested that Olaf used priests of Norman descent for his missionaries, since these priests were themselves of Norwegian descent, could speak the language and shared the culture of the people they were to convert. Since the Normans themselves had only been in Normandy for about two generations, these priests might, at least in some cases, be their new parishioners distant cousins and thus less likely to kill their pastors once Olaf and his army had left an area. One might note here, as well, that the few surviving manuscripts and the printed missal used in Archdiocese of Nidaros shows a clear dependence on the missals used in Normandy.
Olaf's dynasty
For various reasons, most importantly the death of king Knut the Great in 1035, but perhaps even a certain discontent among Norwegian nobles with the Danish rule in the years after Olaf's death in 1030, his illegitimate son with the concubine Alvhild, Magnus the Good, assumed power in Norway, and eventually also in Denmark. Numerous churches in Denmark were dedicated to Olaf during his reign, and the sagas give glimpses of similar efforts to promote the cult of his deceased father on the part of the young king. This would become typical in the Scandinavian monarchies. It should be remembered that in pagan times the Scandinavian kings derived their right to rule from their claims of descent from the Norse god Odin, or in the case of the kings of the Swedes at Old Uppsala, from Freyr. In Christian times this legitimation of a dynasty's right to rule and its national prestige would be based on its descent from a saintly king. Thus the kings of Norway promoted the cult of St. Olaf, the kings of Sweden the cult of St. Erik and the kings of Denmark the cult of St. Canute, just as in England the Norman and Plantagenet kings similarly promoted the cult of St. Edward the Confessor at Westminster Abbey, their coronation church.
Saint Olaf
Among the bishops that Olaf brought with him from England, was Grimkell (Grimkillus). He was probably the only one of the missionary bishops who was left in the country at the time of Olaf's death, and he stood behind the translation and beatification of Olaf on August 3, 1031. Grimkell later became the first bishop of Sigtuna in Sweden.
At this time, local bishops and their people recognized and proclaimed a person a saint, and a formal canonization procedure through the papal curia was not customary; in Olaf's case, this did not happen until 1888.
Grimkell was later appointed bishop in the diocese of Selsey in the south-east of England. This is probably the reason why the earliest traces of a liturgical cult of St Olaf are found in England. An office, or prayer service, for St Olaf is found in the so-called Leofric collectar (c. 1050), which was bequeathed in his last will and testament by Bishop Leofric of Exeter to Exeter Cathedral, in the neighbouring diocese to Selsey. This English cult seems to have been short-lived.
Adam of Bremen, writing around 1070, mentions pilgrimage to the saint's shrine in Nidaros, but this is the only firm trace we have of a cult of St. Olaf in Norway before the middle of the twelfth century. By this time he was also being referred to as "The Eternal King of Norway". In 1152/3, Nidaros was separated from Lund as the archbishopric of Nidaros. It is likely that whatever formal or informal — which, we do not know — veneration of Olav as a saint there may have been in Nidaros prior to this, was emphasised and formalized on this occasion.
During the visit of the papal legate, Nicholas Brekespear (later Pope Adrian IV), the poem Geisli ("the ray of sun") was recited. In this poem, we hear for the first time of miracles performed by St. Olaf. One of these took place on the day of his death, when a blind man got his eyesight back again after having rubbed his eyes with hands that were stained with the blood from the saint.
The texts which were used for the liturgical celebration of St. Olaf during most of the Middle Ages were probably compiled or written by Eystein Erlendsson, the second Archbishop of Norway (1161–1189). The nine miracles reported in Geisli form the core of the catalogue of miracles in this office.
The celebration of St. Olaf was widespread in the Nordic countries. Apart from the early traces of a cult in England, there are only scattered references to him outside of the Nordic area. Several churches in England were dedicated to him (often as St Olave). St Olave Hart Street in the City of London is the burial place of Samuel Pepys and his wife. Another south of London Bridge gave its name to Tooley Street and to the St Olave's Poor Law Union, later to become the Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey: its workhouse in Rotherhithe became the St Olave's Hospital, now an old-people's home a few hundred metres from St Olaf's Church, which is the Norwegian Church in London. It also led to the naming of St Olave's Grammar School, which was established in 1571 and up until 1968 was situated in Tooley Street. In 1968 the school was moved to Orpington, Kent.
St. Olaf was also, together with the Mother of God, the patron saint of the chapel of the Varangians, the Scandinavian warriors who served as the bodyguard of the Byzantine emperor. This church is believed to have been located near the church of Hagia Irene in Constantinople. The icon of the Madonna Nicopeia, presently in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, which is believed to have been one traditionally carried into combat by the Byzantine military forces, is believed to have been kept in this chapel in times of peace. Thus St. Olaf was also the last saint to be venerated by both the Western and Eastern churches before the Great Schism.
There is also an altar dedicated to St. Olaf in the church of Sant'Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso in Rome with a painting of the saint given to Pope Leo XIII in 1893 on the occasion of the golden jubilee of his ordination as a bishop by Wilhelm Wedel-Jarlsberg as its altarpiece.
Recently the pilgrimage route to Nidaros Cathedral, the site of St. Olav's tomb, has been reinstated. Following the Norwegian spelling the route is known as Saint Olav's Way. The main route, which is approximately 640 km long, starts in the ancient part of Oslo and heads North, along Lake Mjosa, up the Gudbrandsdal Valley, over Dovrefjell and down the Oppdal Valley to end at Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. There is a Pilgrim's Office in Oslo which gives advice to Pilgrims, and a Pilgrim Centre in Trondheim, under the aegis of the Cathedral, which awards certificates to successful Pilgrims upon the completion of their journey.
Propers of the Mass for the Feast of St. Olaf
Entrance Verse:
Let us all rejoice in the Lord on the feast of blessed Olav, Norway's eternal king. The angels exult over his martyrdom and praise the Son of God.
Opening Prayer:
Almighty, eternal God, you are the crown of kings and the triumph of martyrs. We know that your blessed martyr, Olav, intercedes for us before your face. We praise your greatness in his death and we pray you, give us the crown of life that you have promised those who love you, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Old Testament Reading: Wisdom of Solomon 10: 10-14.
Responsory Psalm: Psalm 31 (30): 1-7 with the response: "Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit."
Epistle: James 1: 2-4, 12.
Allelua Verse:
Alleluia. Holy Olav, you who rejoice with the angels of heaven, pray for us that we may be worthy to present our sacrifice of praise before the Lord. Alleluia.
Gospel: Matthew 16:24-28
Prayer over the Offerings (Secret):
Almighty God, in awe we call upon your inscrutable might. Make holy these created things which you have chosen so that they may become the body and blood of Christ, your Son. Through the intercession of the holy Olav, king and martyr, let them for the salvation of body and soul. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Verse:
Great is his glory through your saving help. With glory and honor will you clothe him, Lord.
Closing Prayer (Postcommunion):
We who have been fed at the table of the Lamb implore you, almighty God, through the intercession of your blessed martyr Olav let us always stand under the protection of your Son who redeemed us by his death on the cross, he who lives and reigns from eternity to eternity.
Olaf Haraldsson (Old Norse Óláfr Haraldsson, 995 – July 29, 1030), was king of Norway from 1015–1028, (known during his lifetime as "the Fat" (Óláfr Digre) and after his canonization as Saint Olaf or Olaus). His mother was Åsta Gudbrandsdatter, and his father was Harald Grenske, great-grandchild of Harald Fairhair. In modern day Norway he is known as Olav den Hellige ("Olaf the Holy") as a result of his sainthood. -------------------- Olaf II Haraldsson, patron saint of Norway (Old Norse: Óláfr Haraldsson) (known during his lifetime as "the Big" (Óláfr Digre) and after his canonization as Saint Olaf or Olaus). In modern day Scandinavia he is known as Olav den Hellige ("Olaf the Holy") or Heilag-Olav ("Holy Olaf") as a result of his sainthood. King Olaf Haraldsson of Norway had the given name Óláfr in Old Norse. (Etymology: Anu – "forefather", Leifr – "heir".) Olav is the modern equivalent in Norwegian, formerly often spelt Olaf. His name in Icelandic is Ólafur, in Faroese Ólavur, in Danish Oluf, in Swedish Olof, the Norse-Gaels called him Amlaíb and in Waterford it is Olave. Olave was also the traditional spelling in England, preserved in the name of medieval churches dedicated to him. Other names, such as Oláfr hinn helgi, Olavus rex, and Olaf (as used in English) are used interchangeably (see the Heimskringla of Snorri Sturluson). He is sometimes referred to as Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae, eternal King of Norway, a designation which goes back to the thirteenth century. The term Ola Nordmann as epithet of the archetypal Norwegian may originate in this tradition, as the name Olav for centuries was the most common male name in Norway.
Born: 995
Died: July 29, 1030
Father: Åsta Gudbrandsdatter
Mother: Harald Grenske
Spouses:
Astrid Olofsdotter
Alvhild (concubine)
Issue:
Wulfhild (Ulvhild)
Tore
Emund
Edla
Magnus the Good
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaf_II_of_Norway
Olaf was the subject of several biographies, both hagiographies and sagas, in the Middle Ages, and many of the historical facts concerning his reign are disputed. The best known description is the one in Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla, from c. 1230. That saga cannot be taken as an accurate source for Olaf's life, but most of the following description is based on the narrative there.
Norway during the reign of St. Olaf (1015–1028) showing areas under the control of hereditary chieftains (petty kingdoms). After some years' absence in England, fighting the Danes, he returned to Norway in 1015 and declared himself king, obtaining the support of the five petty kings of the Uplands. In 1016 he defeated Earl Sweyn, hitherto the virtual ruler of Norway, at the Battle of Nesjar. He founded the town Borg by the waterfall Sarpr, later to be known as Sarpsborg. Within a few years he had won more power than had been enjoyed by any of his predecessors on the throne.
He had annihilated the petty kings of the South, subdued the aristocracy, enforced the acceptance of Christianity throughout the kingdom, asserted his suzerainty in the Orkney Islands, and conducted a successful raid on Denmark. He made peace with king Olof Skötkonung of Sweden through Þorgnýr the Lawspeaker, and was for some time engaged to his daughter, Princess Ingegerd Olofsdotter, though without Olof's approval.
In 1019 Olaf married Astrid Olofsdotter, Olof's illegitimate daughter and half-sister of his former fiancée. Their daughter Wulfhild married Ordulf, Duke of Saxony in 1042. Numerous royal, grand ducal and ducal lines are descended from Ordulf and Wulfrid, including the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Maud of Wales, daughter of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, was the mother of King Olav V of Norway, so Olav and his son Harald V, the present king of Norway, are thus descended from Olaf.
But Olaf's success was short-lived. In 1026 he lost the Battle of the Helgeå, and in 1029 the Norwegian nobles, seething with discontent, supported the invasion of King Cnut of Denmark. Olaf was driven into exile in Kievan Rus. During the exile he stayed some time in Sweden in the province of Nerike where, according to local legend, he baptized many locals. In 1030, Cnut's Norwegian vassal king, Jarl Håkon Eiriksson, was lost at sea. Olaf seized the opportunity to win back the kingdom, but he fell at the Battle of Stiklestad, where some of his own subjects from central Norway were arrayed against him.
Olaf, a rather stubborn and rash ruler, prone to rough treatment of his enemies, ironically became Norway's patron saint. His canonization was performed only a year after his death by the bishop of Nidaros. The cult of Olaf not only unified the country, it also fulfilled the conversion of the nation, something for which the king had fought so hard. While divisive in life, in death Olaf wielded a unifying power no foreign monarch could hope to undo.
Cnut, though distracted by the task of administrating England, managed to rule Norway for five years after Stiklestad, with his son Svein as viceroy. However, when Olaf's illegitimate son Magnus (dubbed 'the Good') laid claim to the Norwegian throne, Cnut had to yield. A century of prosperity and expansion followed, lasting until the kingdom again descended into a civil war over succession.
Owing to Olaf's later status as the patron saint of Norway, and to his importance in later medieval historiography and in Norwegian folklore, it is difficult to assess the character of the historical Olaf. Judging from the bare outlines of known historical facts, he appears, more than anything else, as a fairly unsuccessful ruler, who had his power based on some sort of alliance with the much more powerful king Cnut the Great; who was driven into exile when he claimed a power of his own; and whose attempt at a reconquest was swiftly crushed.
This calls for an explanation of the status he gained after his death. Three factors are important: his role in the Christianization of Norway, the various dynastic relationships among the ruling families, and the needs for legitimization in a later period.
Olaf and Olaf Tryggvasson together were the driving force behind Norway's final conversion to Christianity. However, large stone crosses and other Christian symbols suggest that at least the coastal areas of Norway were deeply influenced by Christianity long before Olav's time; with one exception, all the rulers of Norway back to Håkon the Good (c. 920–961) had been Christians; and Olav's main opponent, Cnut the Great, was a Christian ruler. What seems clear is that Olav made efforts to establish a church organization on a broader scale than before, among other things by importing bishops from England and Germany, and that he tried to enforce Christianity also in the inland areas, which had the least communication with the rest of Europe, and which economically were more strongly based on agriculture, so that the inclination to hold on to the former fertility cult would have been stronger than in the more diversified and expansive western parts of the country.
Although Olav was certainly not the first to introduce Christianity to Norway, he established the first codification of the faith in 1024, thus laying the basis for the Church of Norway. So high did Olaf's legal arrangements for the Church of Norway come to stand in the eyes of the Norwegian people and clergy, that when Pope Gregory VII attempted to make clerical celibacy binding on the priests of Western Europe in 1074–5, the Norwegians largely ignored this, since there was no mention of clerical celibacy in Olaf's legal code for their Church. Only after Norway was made an metropolitan province with its own archbishop in 1151—which made the Norwe
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Alvhild Kongemor, concubine
partner
Magnus I Olavsson «the Good» d...
son
Queen of Norway Astrid Olofsdott...
wife
Ulvhild Olavsdotter
daughter
Thorberga Arnimsdatter
wife
Harald Grenske
father
Åsta Gudbrandsdóttir, Queen of...
mother
Halfdan Sigurdsson
half brother
Sigurd Syr
stepfather
Halvdan Sigurdsson av Stein
half brother
Gunhild Sigurdsdotter
half sister
Guttorm (Gudrød) Sigurdsson
half brother
