• Top Attractions
    • Briksdalsbreen Glacier
      • How to get to Briksdalsbreen
      • Jostedalsbreen National Park
      • Nigardsbreen
      • Fjærland Book Town
      • Glacier Museums
    • Bryggen in Bergen
      • Hanseatic Period
      • Museums at Bryggen
      • Fløibanen
      • KODE Art Museum
    • Flåm Railway
      • How to get here
      • Book tickets
      • Local Produce
      • Rallarvegen
      • Stegastein
      • Ægir Brewery
    • Geirangerfjord
      • How to get to Geiranger
      • Amazing viewpoints
      • Seven Sisters
      • Hjørundfjord
    • Loen Skylift
      • How to get here
      • Hiking at Mt. Hoven
      • Via Ferrata Loen
    • Our Viking history
      • Viking villages
      • Nordvegen History Centre
      • Viking ship - Draken
      • Sagastad - the Myklebust ship
      • Viking Festival & Market
      • Gulating
    • Preikestolen
      • How to get here
      • Hiking trip
      • Fjord cruise to Preikestolen
      • Kjerag
      • Guided hikes with Outdoorlife Norway
    • Romsdalseggen
      • How to get here
      • Romsdalstrappa
    • Sognefjord
      • Nærøyfjord
      • Undredal
      • Fjordcruise
    • The Atlantic Road
      • How to get here
      • Grip
      • Best bike ride
    • Trollstigen
      • How to get here
      • Trollveggen
      • Gudbrandsjuvet
    • Trolltunga
      • How to get here
      • Hiking trip
      • Hiking trip with snowshoes
    • Vøringsfossen
      • How to get here
      • Kjeåsen
    • Ålesund Art Nouveau Town
      • How to get here
  • Places to go
    • Bergen & the Region
    • Destination Northwest
    • FjordKysten
    • Geiranger
    • Hardangerfjord
    • Haugesund & Haugalandet
    • Nordfjord
    • Sognefjord
    • Stavanger & Ryfylke Regions
    • Sunnfjord
    • Sunnhordland
    • Voss
    • Ålesund & Sunnmøre
  • Things to do
    • Biking
      • Fly and Bike with Widerøe
    • Children & families
      • The best activities for children
      • Climbing parks & Ziplines
      • The landscape that inspired the makers of Frozen
      • Farm visits
      • Parks & centres
    • Culture & Heritage
      • Guided town walks
      • Our Viking history
      • Architecture & Historical buildings
      • Stave churches
      • UNESCO Heritage
      • Museums & galleries
      • Artisans at work - Economusée
      • The Fjord Pilgrim Route – from Viking to pilgrim
    • Hiking
      • Top 5 hikes
      • Preikestolen
      • Romsdalseggen
      • Trolltunga
      • Easy hikes & city walks
      • Guided hikes
      • Glacier hikes
      • Climbing & Via Ferrata
      • Hiking trails
      • Grading, safety & equipment
    • Kayak
    • Natural Attractions
      • Beaches & bathing areas
      • Fjords
      • Glaciers
      • Guides
      • Mountain areas
      • National Parks
      • The most beautiful waterfalls in Norway
      • Waterfalls
      • What is a fjord
      • What is a glacier?
      • Well-known fjords
    • Sightseeing trips & day cruises
      • The best fjord cruises
      • The best sightseeing trips
      • Fjord cruises by The Fjords
      • Fjord cruises by Rødne
    • Shopping
      • Souvenirs & handcrafts
      • Factory outlets
    • Skiing & winter activitites
      • A refreshing winter experience: RIB
      • Cross country skiing
      • Guide to cross-country trails in Fjord Norway
      • Have fun skiing in Loen
      • Love letter to Fjord Norway
      • Nordvest: Close to the mountains in all directions
      • Ski resorts
      • Ski touring
      • Snowshoeing
      • Summer skiing
      • Sunnfjord – the new skiing paradise
      • The Alpepass Region
      • The skiing treasure trove of the Sognefjord
      • Welcome to Voss – a winter paradise!
      • Winter activities without skis
    • Sports & adventures
      • Adrenaline-filled activities
      • Bird spotting & safari
      • Fishing
      • Climbing
      • Golf
      • Diving
      • Sailing
      • RIB & Rafting
      • Horseback riding
      • Surfing & SUP
    • Wellness & spa
    • What's On
      • The best cultural experiences
      • Concerts
      • Sports & adventures
      • Festivals
      • All events
  • Planning your trip
    • Accommodation
      • Hotels
      • Classic Norway hotels
      • Camping
      • Cabins & holiday houses
      • DNT cabins
      • Stay on farm
      • Bed & Breakfast
      • Guest harbours & marinas
      • Exotic accommodation
    • Coronavirus and travelling to Norway
      • Measures to ensure a safe holiday in Norway
    • Food & Drink
      • Star-studded culinary experiences in Fjord Norway
      • Cider from Fjord Norway
      • Norwegian food
    • Getting to & around
      • Public transportation
      • Trip Ideas - with your own car
      • Trip Ideas - without a car
      • Driving in Fjord Norway
      • Rental
      • Flåm Railway
      • Rauma Railway
      • Bergen Railway
      • Widerøe: by plane around Fjord Norway
      • Fjord Line - the ferry to Norway
    • Green travel
    • Travel Guide
      • Download our Travel Guide
      • Travel on a budget
      • Tourist Information Offices
      • Seasons and climate in Fjord Norway
      • Fjord Norway in spring
      • Fjord Norway in summer
      • Fjord Norway in autumn
      • Fjord Norway in winter
    • Travel specialists
      • Authentic Scandinavia
    • Trip Ideas
      • Roundtrips by car or by public transportation
      • Norwegian Scenic Routes
      • Top 11 viewpoints along Norwegian Scenic Routes
      • Nutshell trips by Fjord Tours
      • Tours & Activities by Go Fjords
      • Into the unknown
      • Travel like the locals
    • Fjord Norway Videos
  • Inspire me
    • Winter in the fjords
      • A landscape shaped by the Ice Age in Sognefjord
      • Attack the city!
      • Eat like a Viking
      • From the fjord to the sky in Loen
      • From Vikings to street art
      • Fun facts about Norwegians and the Vikings
      • ‘God Jól’ since the Viking Age
      • Good at transport since the Viking Age!
      • Living history in the southwest
      • Skiing & Winter Activities
      • Storm watching – roundtrips from Bergen
      • The new Viking age is packed with activities
      • Waterfalls, fjords and glaciers in Hardanger
      • What to pack
    • Active fjord adventures
    • Cultural experiences
      • The cities on the fjord
    • Exploring Fjord Norway
    • Summer Secrets
      • Accommodating your dreams: 10 standout hotels
      • Beaches? Fjord Norway? Yes!
      • Exploring Fjord Norway's heritage
      • Fjord Norway’s best kept secrets
      • Fjord Norway — active and revitalizing
      • Light up your holiday
      • Open-arm welcome to culture & charm
      • Savor your holiday
      • Take your trip to new heights
      • The island escape of your dreams
      • The sound of silence
    • Fjord Norway for children
      • Bergen for children
      • Holidaying with children in South West Norway
      • Take your children on an active holiday!
      • The best of Fjord Norway – the easy way
    • Discover Fjord Norway in Autumn
      • Romantic autumn break in the fjords
      • Autumn is the perfect time for a trip with friends
      • Enjoy an autumn break with the family!
      • Take the time to breathe
      • The food scene surprised me!
      • Culture everywhere!
      • Street art in the fjords
      • The most Instagram-friendly places in Fjord Norway
      • Activity and visitor centres & museums

Don't miss...

  • Myklebustskipet. Photo: Ruben Soltvedt

    Sagastad - the Myklebust ship

  • Photo: Roger Ellingsen

    Roundtrips by car or by public transportation

  • Slogen. Photo: Sverre Hjørnevik

    Hiking

  • Aurlandsfjord. Photo: M. Dickson/Foap/visitnorway.com

    Sightseeing trips & day cruises

Menu
  • Top Attractions

  • Places to go

  • Things to do

  • Planning your trip

  • Inspire me

Site Search Icon

My Planner

Welcome to the Itinerary Planner

Use this tool to build your own journey. To build your own Itinerary, click
Add to Excursion
to add an item to your Itinerary basket.

List All My Saved Itineraries

  • EN
  • NO
  • DE
  • Logo
  • Print Logo

You are here Things to do St. Olav's church at Avaldsnes

St. Olav's church at Avaldsnes

Kong Augvalds veg 101
4262 Avaldsnes

+ 47 52 81 24 00

Email

Visit Website

Add St. Olav's church at Avaldsnes to your Itinerary

Olavskirken
  • Olavskirken
  • Olavskirken
  • Olavskirken
  • Jomfru Marias Synål

About

Avaldsnes is the oldest royal seat in Norway! It was here Harald Fairhair established his main royal seat after winning the battle at Hafrsfjord in 872 AD. Avaldsnes kept this position of power until 1450. Today, the beautiful Olav’s church is the mightiest memorial of former days of glory. King Håkon Håkonsen started the work on the Olav’s church in 1250. Presumably there was already a church in the same spot as Olav Tryggvason built around year 1000. Most likely this was a smaller building in wood, torn down to make room for the new stone church. But the peculiar thing is that the area of the church in Avaldsnes is surrounded by burial mounds and obelisks from pre-christianization. Why wasn’t a more “available” building site chosen for such monumental builds?

The old royal seat Avaldsnes is compared to Uppsala in Sweden and Jellinge in Denmark. Here you can also find giant mounds and obelisks in the spot where a stone church is built. Here they have reached the conclusion that the first Christian kings must have been strategic and sought areas already culturally established when introducing new faith, rituals, laws and rules.

The Olav’s church used to be surrounded by several large obelisks. Some have disappeared or wrecked, but on the north side of the church you can still find the tallest and well-known obelisk called “Virgin Mary’s sewing needle”. With its 7,2 metres above ground level it is Norway’s second tallest, but no-one knows how deep it is underneath ground level. There are many myths attached to the obelisk by the Olav’s church. Some say that this is the needle virgin Mary lost one day whilst sewing in heaven. Others say that this is a petrified magician that helped Olav the Holy to build the church, but fell off the roof and turned in to stone when the king at last found out that his name was Sigge. The most famous myth however, is that since the obelisk approaches the church wall by a few millimetres each decade, doomsday will come when it finally touches the wall! Many believe that the chisel marks on the top of the obelisk are proof of how priests chiselled off the tip when it came dangerously close to the wall.

Visit Avaldsnes and see and experience the era of former days of glory. 

 

TripAdvisor

Map & Directions

Map Link

Facilities

Activities

  • Guided tour

General facilities

  • built - 1250
  • parking place
  • reconstructed - 1929
  • toilet
  • tourism information

Nature and terrain

  • hiking area
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/opplevavaldsnes

What's Nearby

  1. Nordvegen Historiesenter

    Nordvegen History Centre

    For 3000 years chieftains and kings controlled the strait Karmsundet – Nordvegen – the…

    121 m Away
  2. The viking farm

    The Viking Settlement

    The Viking Farm is situated in beautiful natural surroundings on the island of Bukkøy and…

    815 m Away
  3. Rehaugane

    Burial Mounds at Rehaugane

    What is often referred to as norway’s largest monument from the Bronze age is to be found…

    1.18 km Away
  1. The five wayward virgins, Norheim, Karmøy.

    The Five Wayward Virgins

    2.29 km Away
  2. Visnes Gruvemuseum

    Visnes Mining Museum

    On a winter's day in 1865 a herring fisherman from Jaeren found some incredibly rich…

    3.92 km Away
  3. Town hall

    Haugesund Town Hall

    Haugesund Town Hall was a gift from shipowner Knut Knutsen OAS and his wife Elisabeth.…

    6.07 km Away
  4. Beautiful Panorama film of Haugesund and the nearby region is shown at Lille Maritim, Scandic Maritim.

    Panoramafilm of Haugalandet

    Experience nature, activities and tourist attractions on a 3-screen super videograph in…

    6.12 km Away
  5. Knekk

    Formbar Glassverksted

    Glassblowing, nordic design and glass art in Haugesund.

    6.24 km Away
  6. Harbour promenade

    Harbour promenade

    Indre Kai (Inner Quay) is an important part of the history of Haugesund. Today this area…

    6.45 km Away
  7. Haugalandmuseet

    Haugalandmuseet

    Haugalandmuseet is the regional museum for art and cultural history in Northern Rogaland,…

    6.48 km Away
  8. Karmsund Folkemuseum

    Karmsund Folkemuseum

    The museum focuses on the history of the town and region. Karmsund folkemuseum is…

    6.48 km Away
  9. Haugesund Theatre

    Haugesund Theatre

    Haugesund Teater (HAUT) is Haugalandets regional theatre, with its main offices located…

    6.60 km Away
  10. Dokken museum

    Dokken Open air museum

    The Dokken museum on Hasseløy takes us to the very start of the great herring era and…

    6.94 km Away
  11. Dragavika

    Dragavika beach

    Bathing area with sandy, pebbled and rocky beaches. Fishing is possible on both the north…

    7.02 km Away
  12. Haugesund Billedgalleri

    Haugesund Art Gallery

    Haugesund Art Gallery is the museum of fine arts in the region and the exhibition arena…

    7.11 km Away
  13. Steinsfjellet

    Steinsfjellet, 227 m.a.s.

    Viewpoint 227m above the sea. Panorama views over Haugalandet and the North Sea. Drive to…

    7.71 km Away
Previous Next
More

Search What's Nearby

Product Type
Proximity
Within metres

Related

The viking farmThe Viking Settlement, Karmøy

Nordvegen HistoriesenterNordvegen History Centre, Karmøy

LeikvollAvaldsnes Leikvoll, Karmøy

Loading..

Follow Us...

  • Facebook

    Facebook Icon

  • Twitter

    Twitter Icon

  • Youtube

    Youtube Icon

  • Instagram

    Instagram Icon

  • Email Page
  • Print Page
  • E-newsletter
  • Travel Guide
  • EN
  • NO
  • DE

Other Sites

  • Corporate/Media
  • Photo Service
  • NCE Tourism - Fjord Norway

Contact Details

Fjord Norge AS

Nordre Nøstekaien 1, 5011 Bergen,

Norway

Email: info@fjordnorway.com

Corporate/Media

Photo Service

About Us

Use of cookies

Photo credits

Main Categories

  • Top Attractions
  • Places to go
  • Things to do
  • Planning your trip
  • Inspire me

Our Destinations

  • Bergen & the Region
  • Destination Northwest
  • FjordKysten
  • Geiranger
  • Hardangerfjord
  • Haugesund & Haugalandet
  • Nordfjord
  • Sognefjord
  • Stavanger & Ryfylke Regions
  • Sunnfjord
  • Sunnhordland
  • Voss
  • Ålesund & Sunnmøre

Tourist Information

The local tourist offices can give you good and useful information.

Find your local tourist information office.

Fjord Norway

© Fjord Norge AS / Fjord Norway

Visit Norway
created by New Mind | tellUs

Ratings & Reviews

Powered By

tripadvisor