Patron Saint of Norway: St. Olaf (Olav), King and Martyr, Feast July 29

The patron saint of Norway is St. Olaf, or Olav Haraldsson (995–1030), the Viking warrior who became king, worked to make Norway a Christian nation, and died in battle at Stiklestad on July 29, 1030. Within a year his people were venerating him as a saint, and for centuries pilgrims from all over northern Europe walked to his tomb in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. Norwegians still call him Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae, the eternal king of Norway. Below are his story, his feast day, Olsok, other patron saints of Norway, and a prayer to St. Olaf.

Who was St. Olaf?

• Viking youth. Olaf was born in 995, the son of Harald Grenske, a Norwegian chieftain. As a teenager he sailed as a Viking raider and fought in England and France.
• Baptism. He became interested in Christianity in England and was baptized, probably in Rouen in Normandy, about 1010.
• King of Norway. Returning home, he won the kingdom in 1015 and set out to unite Norway and make the Christian faith its foundation. He brought bishops and priests from England, built churches, and gave Norway its first Christian laws, at the assembly of Moster in 1024.
• Exile. His harsh methods against the old religion and his struggle with the powerful chieftains, who sided with King Cnut of Denmark and England, drove him into exile in Russia in 1028.
• Stiklestad. In 1030 he returned with a small army and met the rebel chieftains at Stiklestad, north of Trondheim, on July 29. According to the sagas, he fell mortally wounded, praying “God help me.”

Martyr and saint

Many miracles were reported at his grave. A year after his death, on August 3, 1031, Bishop Grimkell had his body raised and found it incorrupt, and he was enshrined as a saint above the high altar of St. Clement’s Church in Nidaros (Trondheim). Pope Alexander III confirmed his cult in 1164. The great Nidaros Cathedral, built over his grave, became the goal of the most important pilgrimage in Scandinavia. Today the old pilgrim routes, the St. Olav Ways, are walked again by thousands.

His cult spread throughout northern Europe: in London, St. Olave’s Church on Hart Street still bears his name. Norway’s coat of arms shows a crowned lion holding his axe, and Norway’s chief order of chivalry is the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.

His last words recall the prayer of the Psalms (Psalm 69:2, Douay-Rheims; Psalm 70 in modern Bibles):

Feast day: Olsok, July 29

St. Olaf’s feast is July 29, the anniversary of his death, called Olsok (“Olaf’s wake”) in Norway. It is a flag day in Norway, celebrated with pilgrimages and the St. Olav Festival in Trondheim, and the national day of the Faroe Islands, Ólavsøka. Norwegian Catholics celebrate it as a solemnity, and St. Olav’s Cathedral in Oslo is dedicated to him.

Other patron saints of Norway

• St. Hallvard (May 15), a young man killed while defending a woman, patron of Oslo.
• St. Sunniva (July 8), an Irish princess venerated at Selja, patron of Bergen and western Norway.
• St. Ansgar (February 3), the “apostle of the North,” who first preached the faith in Scandinavia.

A prayer to St. Olaf

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Frequently asked questions

Who is the patron saint of Norway?

St. Olaf (Olav Haraldsson), king of Norway from 1015 to 1028, who died at the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030.

Is St. Olaf a Catholic saint?

Yes. He was venerated as a saint from 1031 and his cult was confirmed by Pope Alexander III in 1164, long before the Reformation. Lutherans in Norway also honor him.

Why is St. Olaf important?

He completed the Christianization of Norway, gave it its first Church laws, and became a symbol of Norwegian unity and independence.

More saints and prayers

• Patron saints of countries
• St. Bridget of Sweden
• St. George, soldier saint
• St. Patrick, patron of Ireland
• Unusual patron saints
• Saint feast days

Texts and sources

• Psalm 69:2 (Douay-Rheims).
• Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “St. Olaf Haraldson,” by Niels Hansen, public domain (Wikisource).