Trondheim, Norway, March 30, 2021
Photo: ortodokstrondheim.files.wordpress.com
An historical event took place on March 21, the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, as the Divine Liturgy was celebrated on the site of the church that was the original resting place of the relics of St. Olaf the King of Norway for the first time in nearly 1,000 years.
The Liturgy was celebrated by Fr. Alexander Volokhan, the rector of the Church of St. Anna of Novgorod, reports the parish website.
The relics of St. Olaf, “the eternal king of Norway,” originally rested by the altar table in the Church of St. Clement of Rome in Nidaros, the ancient capital of Norway, today called Trondheim. The church began to fall into decline beginning in the 14th century and for several centuries thereafter lay in ruins.
It wasn’t until 2016 that archaeological excavations were carried out on the site.
During the Liturgy, the holy relics of St. Olaf were again placed upon the medieval stone altar. Part of his relics were solemnly presented as a gift to the parish in Trondheim in connection with the construction of the Church of St. Olay in Stiklestad in 2014.
Photo: ortodokstrondheim.files.wordpress.com
At the end of the Liturgy, the Rite of Orthodoxy was celebrated. Prayers were offered for all those who labored for the Orthodox faith and “Memory Eternal” was sung for all the departed, and “Many Years” for the living.
Then a cross procession was held with icons and banners and the blessing of a bas-relief depicting St. Clement of Rome across from the entrance to the church-museum.
The service was celebrated in Church Slavonic, Norwegian, and Greek.
The report below from the Orthodox TV channel Soyuz shows scenes from the Liturgy and around the church-museum:
Last year, a four-day procession with the relics of St. Olaf was held for protection against the coronavirus.
In 2019, the first Romanian Orthodox church in Norway was consecrated.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Vkontakte, Telegram, WhatsApp, Parler, MeWe, and Gab!
