Pilgrim Road to Nidaros, The: St Olav's Way - Oslo to Trondheim (A Cicerone Guide) [Paperback]

Alison Raju (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Cicerone Guide | Publication Date: January 1, 2010

A walker's guide to the 643km medieval pilgrim road from Oslo to Nidaros (Trondheim) cathedral, where Saint Olav (king of Norway, and responsible for much of the conversion of the country to christianity) was buried. His shrine was the focus not only of many miracles but also of the fourth most important pilgrim route in Europe after Rome, Jerusalem and Santiago de Compestela, and from the tenth century until the Reformation it attracted pilgrims not only from Norway and the rest of Scandinavia but from Russia, the Baltic countries, Germany and Britain as well. Cleared and waymarked in 1997 The route has been 'rediscovered', and is being actively promoted as a walking pilgrim path.This is the only guide to the route in English. As well as giving directions for walking the route, the book also provides information on places of interest along the way and the history of the pilgrimage, a list of suggestions for further reading and a glossary of geographical and useful terms.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This is a walker's guide of the 643km medieval pilgrim route from Oslo to Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim, where Saint Olav was buried. Saint Olav, king of Norway, was responsible for much of the conversion of the country to Christianity. Visits to his shrine, the focus of many miracles, culminated in the route becoming the fourth most important pilgrim route in Europe, after Rome, Jerusalem and Santiago de Compostela. Following the arrival of the Reformation in Norway and the prohibition of pilgrims, the route fell into disuse some time after 1537. Between 1994 and 1996, however, many of the old tracks were cleared and re-opened and the western (cultural) route, via Gjovik, was waymarked in its entirety in 1997. This coincided with the millennium of the founding of Nidaros Cathedral. The eastern route goes via Hamar and waymarking was completed in 2000. The two branches join up about 20km north of Lillehammer. Directions for both branches are covered in the guidebook. The introduction contains a brief history about Saint Olav and the pilgrimage routes that developed following his death in 1030. It is estimated that pilgrims took 25 days to cover the route from Oslo to Nidaros, many aiming to arrive on the saint's day (July 29th). The author informs us that, unlike his historical counterpart, the modern pilgrim no longer returns home by foot; thus the route is waymarked only in one direction. Along the way one can visit many of the medieval churches and wells that still exist. On the language front, the author includes a short glossary of geographical and other useful items in an appendix at the rear of the book. Although English is regarded as the second language of Norway it is always worth taking along a small dictionary. It is the 'sing-song' intonation of the spoken word that causes most difficulty (this sounds a bit like the Welsh language). Information about accommodation, returning from Trondheim and other relevant facts are included in the preamble. The route description is well laid out and easy to follow. Points of interest along the route have been printed in light blue and consequently stand out against the black print of the route directions.' (Les Maple, Strider)

About the Author

Alison Raju is a former teacher of French, German and Spanish to adults and the author of The Way of Saint James: Le Puy to Santiago - A Walker's Guide and Via de la Plata.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Cicerone Press Limited (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852843144
• ISBN-13: 978-1852843144
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,152,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Travel > Europe > Norway > Oslo

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough, March 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Pilgrim Road to Nidaros, The: St Olav's Way - Oslo to Trondheim (A Cicerone Guide) (Paperback)

This book was aimed for a largely British audience. It gives extremely thorough descriptions of the long route from Oslo to Trondheim, as well as fair and forthright critiques of the state of lodgings & etc. along the way. I have yet to take the journey myself, so can't comment on how reliable it is as an actual guide, but the historical information, resources and advice seem like the perfect starting point should one want to do the route.