Bishop Sigurd
Bishop Sigurd came with Olav Tryggvason from England Christianize the country and is the first to canonize a Norwegian Saint, Saint Sunniva. According to tradition, the evangelist then proceeded to Sweden, where his three nephews were decapitated and their heads arranged in a bowl and thrown into the river. The statue of Bishop Sigurd bears in his hand a bowl with three heads of his nephews; according to legend he found them floating in the water, and they told him of the foul deed. The features of Bishop Sigurd are modeled by Dyre Vaa based on the Norwegian poet Aasmund Olavsson Vinje. The heads in the bowl have the appearance of the architects instrumental in the reconstruction of the cathedral: Gudolf Blakstad Herman Munthe-Kaas and Helge Thiis. The statue was sculpted by Kristofer Leirdal. Nidarosdomen Cathedral in Trondheim is Norway's national sanctuary, and was built over the grave of St. Olav, Norway's patron saint. Construction started in 1070. The oldest parts still in existence are from the middle of the twelfth century. Ravaged by fire on several occasions, it lay largely in ruins at the time of the Reformation in 1537. The cathedral was rebuilt each time, mainly in the Gothic style, but the oldest parts around the transept reflect the Roman style. In 1869 extensive restorations were begun, and a century later Nidarosdomen was again restored to its original grandeur.
Bishop Sigurd
Bishop Sigurd came with Olav Tryggvason from England Christianize the country and is the first to canonize a Norwegian Saint, Saint Sunniva. According to tradition, the evangelist then proceeded to Sweden, where his three nephews were decapitated and their heads arranged in a bowl and thrown into the river. The statue of Bishop Sigurd bears in his hand a bowl with three heads of his nephews; according to legend he found them floating in the water, and they told him of the foul deed. The features of Bishop Sigurd are modeled by Dyre Vaa based on the Norwegian poet Aasmund Olavsson Vinje. The heads in the bowl have the appearance of the architects instrumental in the reconstruction of the cathedral: Gudolf Blakstad Herman Munthe-Kaas and Helge Thiis. The statue was sculpted by Kristofer Leirdal. Nidarosdomen Cathedral in Trondheim is Norway's national sanctuary, and was built over the grave of St. Olav, Norway's patron saint. Construction started in 1070. The oldest parts still in existence are from the middle of the twelfth century. Ravaged by fire on several occasions, it lay largely in ruins at the time of the Reformation in 1537. The cathedral was rebuilt each time, mainly in the Gothic style, but the oldest parts around the transept reflect the Roman style. In 1869 extensive restorations were begun, and a century later Nidarosdomen was again restored to its original grandeur.