VATICAN - Catholic Prayers in the Languages of the World: Norwegian (2) THE CHRISTIAN ROOTS OF THE PEOPLES OF EUROPE

Wednesday, 25 April 2007

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - In two centuries Christianity spread throughout Norway thanks to contact and trading with Christian Europe and missionaries who came from England, Germany and Denmark.
At the beginning of the 10th century King Harold Fairhair I (872-933), won a naval victory at Hafrsfjördr (885) and started the unification of the country which was continued by his successors: Eirik of the bloodied axe (933-936), Haakon the Good (936-960) and Harold Greyfur (960-970). However Norway was finally united under Saint King Olav (1016-1030), who also accelerated the evangelisation of his subjects. Norway was soon covered with beautiful churches built of wood and became integrated with the new Europe emerging in the year 1000 AD.
The spread of Christianity in Norway in this period is in large part attributed to the missionary kings Olav Trygvason (995-1000) and Saint Olav (1015-1028), although Haakon the Good was Norway's first Christian king. Norse traditions were slowly replaced during the (ninth and tenth centuries).
From the mid 11th century, music, monuments, legislation in Norway were influenced by Christianity. In 1100 the first dioceses were founded all Trondheim, which had a resident bishop from 1152. In Norway archbishops were also active in politics.
Churches were built - As soon as he was baptised Harald had a church built near the grave of his father King Gorm the elder, he moved the body there and raised a great stone nearby «in honour of Gorm, his father and Thyre, his mother», engraved with the figure of Christ. Iceland became Christian at the same time as Norway and under the Kings of Sweden where the famous pagan temple of Uppsala was replaced with a church and all Scandinavia was at last Christian.
The Protestant reform was applied with a royal decree in 1537 also in Norway which was under Danish rule. From the beginning of the 17th century the whole of Norway adhered to the teachings of Luther. (J.M.) (Agenzia Fides 25/4/2007 - righe 44, parole 573)


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