April
05
/ 2026
The Canonization, the Pilgrimages, and the Great Mystery: Where is He Now? On August 3, 1031, exactly one year and five days after the bloody Battle of Stiklestad, Bishop Grimkjell ordered a grave to be opened on the sandy banks of the Nidelva River. The body inside belonged to Olav Haraldsson, the deposed and defeated King of Norway. According to the sagas, when the coffin was opened a year later, a sweet fragrance filled the air. The king's cheeks were red, as if he were merely sleeping, and his hair and nails had continued to grow. With this miraculous revelation, the Viking warlord was officially declared a saint. The transformation was complete: Olav the Stout was now Olav den Hellige
