Route of Saint Olav Ways

The Saint Olav Ways are a network of medieval pilgrimage routes that converge on the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway — the northernmost great pilgrimage cathedral of medieval Europe and the site where the relics of Saint Olav Haraldsson are enshrined. Olav II of Norway (995–1030) was killed at the Battle of Stiklestad and was proclaimed a saint within a year of his death. His shrine at Nidaros became the most important pilgrimage destination in Scandinavia, attracting pilgrims from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and the British Isles throughout the medieval period. The routes to Nidaros run through the dramatic Norwegian landscape: from Oslo along the Gudbrandsdalen valley, from Sweden crossing the Jämtland mountains, from Denmark through the western fjords. The paths pass medieval stave churches, royal farmsteads, and landscapes of extraordinary beauty. The Saint Olav Ways were revived in the late 20th century and are now marked long-distance trails combining spiritual tradition with world-class Nordic scenery. They form part of the broader European pilgrimage network connecting Nidaros to Santiago de Compostela.