{"id":237,"date":"2017-05-18T14:41:10","date_gmt":"2017-05-18T14:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.stiklestadpilgrimcenter.org\/?p=237"},"modified":"2017-05-18T14:53:05","modified_gmt":"2017-05-18T14:53:05","slug":"alstadhaug-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stiklestadpilgrimcenter.org\/en_gb\/2017\/05\/18\/alstadhaug-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Alstadhaug Church and the enormous burial mound"},"content":{"rendered":"

When pilgrims walk the fjord route\u00a0of S:T Olavsleden<\/a>, they will encounter a Medieval Church and a very impressive burial mound after passing through Levanger. The Church and burial mound is located on a moraine rigde with magnificent views over the fjord and land in all directions. The burial mound is on the highest spot, with the Church right next to it. They look like gems in the landscape.<\/p>\n

Dendrochronology<\/a> analysis tells us that the timber of the rafters of\u00a0Alstadhaug Church<\/a>\u00a0 was felled in 1166-1167 AD. The construction of the Church was finished some years later. It’s built in the transition period between Roman and Gothic architecture, and has some later elements inspired by the Nidaros Cathedral<\/a> in Trondheim.<\/p>\n

But it’s not only the Church, but the history of the place itself in connection with the surrounding landscape that is for me the most interesting.<\/p>\n

In pagan times both the local Thing<\/a> and the regional Hov <\/a>was located where the Church is now. The truly enormous burial mound “Olvishaugen” is located in the cemetery. It got it’s name from the chieftain name Alvi or \u00d8lvi, meaning “the almighty”. It’s common for burial mounds to have people’s names. That does not mean that it is the name of the actual person buried in the mound. Some times archaeological excavations reveal that the mound is dated to a different period than the stories about it says. It’s usually older than in the stories. It is extremely difficult and rare to know from archaeological material the name of the person in the mound. And in this case we don’t know.\u00a0Olvishaugen itself has not been excavated. It measures 55 metres across and has a hight of almost 6 metres. This makes it one of the biggest burial mounds in Norway.<\/p>\n

This cult site is probably as old as the Roman\u00a0iron age<\/a>. Other rich archaeological finds like traces of iron production, more burial mounds and a hill fort is found in the same area, and all of it dates to the Roman period.<\/p>\n

I’ve mentioned the connection between pagan cult sites, burial mounds and churches before, and this is what we in Norway call a school book example. This region, called Innherred or Inntr\u00f8ndelag (Inner Tr\u00f8ndelag) is an ancient region of power, with several rich archaeological finds from the bronze age, early iron age and Roman period and onwards supporting the claim. Iron production for export, fertile land and good communications on the fjord is part of what have made this region a political and religious center through the ages.<\/p>\n

Knowing the historical context of sites like these gives me a much deeper and more enjoyable experience when visiting them. And by visiting them, we make a part of their history too.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Alstadhaug Kirke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When pilgrims walk the fjord route\u00a0of S:T Olavsleden, they will encounter a Medieval Church and a very impressive burial mound after passing through Levanger. The Church and burial mound is located on a moraine rigde with magnificent views over the fjord and land in all directions. The burial mound is on the highest spot, with… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[25,32,37,33,35,21,34,30,26,24],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.stiklestadpilgrimcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Olvishaugen.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8ovk6-3P","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":93,"url":"https:\/\/www.stiklestadpilgrimcenter.org\/en_gb\/2017\/05\/16\/the-runestone-at-selanger\/","url_meta":{"origin":237,"position":0},"title":"The runestone at Sel\u00e5nger","date":"May 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Since I'm a viking age archaeologist (my thesis was about Scandinavian women in old Rus') I'm more than average excited about runestones. In Norway, there is very few rune stones left, but there's over 2000 of them in Sweden. I'm envious. The runestones were often raised as memorial stones, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Pilgrim Blog"","img":{"alt_text":"Photo HC Brimi","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.stiklestadpilgrimcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2017-04-27-15.34.52.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":94,"url":"https:\/\/www.stiklestadpilgrimcenter.org\/en_gb\/2017\/04\/29\/new-beginnings\/","url_meta":{"origin":237,"position":1},"title":"New beginnings","date":"April 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I've decided to start blogging about the development and everyday life of the pilgrim trail S:T Olavsleden. It's one of several St. Olav Ways, all leading to Nidaros Cathedral, where St. Olav is buried. Stiklestad Pilgrim Center's job is to delevop this ancient pilgrim path, mainly on the Norwegian side\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Pilgrim Blog"","img":{"alt_text":"Photo HC Brimi","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.stiklestadpilgrimcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2017-04-27-15.33.28-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":450,"url":"https:\/\/www.stiklestadpilgrimcenter.org\/en_gb\/2019\/01\/30\/pilgrim-boat-2019\/","url_meta":{"origin":237,"position":2},"title":"Pilgrim boat 2019","date":"January 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"If you are planning on walking the outer route of the St. Olavsleden path, you will need a boat lift to get from Tautra to Trondheim. Since there is no ordinary passenger route across the fjord, the Stiklestad Pilgrim Centre has made an agreement with a local boat owner. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Pilgrim Blog"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.stiklestadpilgrimcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Pilegrimsb\u00e5t2019.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3511,"url":"https:\/\/www.stiklestadpilgrimcenter.org\/en_gb\/2020\/01\/09\/pilgrim-boat-2020\/","url_meta":{"origin":237,"position":3},"title":"Pilgrim boat from Tautra 2020","date":"January 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"If you are planning on walking the outer route of the St. Olavsleden trail, you will need a boat lift to get from Tautra to Trondheim. There is no ordinary passenger route across the fjord, but there is a special offer for pilgrims. ScheduleThursdays at 3 pm\u00a0 -\u00a0 June 1st\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Useful tips"","img":{"alt_text":"Photo: Ruben Heijloo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stiklestadpilgrimcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Ruben-boat.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5180,"url":"https:\/\/www.stiklestadpilgrimcenter.org\/en_gb\/2020\/06\/09\/the-day-of-the-st-olav-ways\/","url_meta":{"origin":237,"position":4},"title":"The Day of the St. Olav Ways","date":"June 9, 2020","format":"gallery","excerpt":"15 pilgrims and two four-legged took part in the hike on the Pilgrim path's Day on June 7, 2020. The day started in pouring rain at Munkeby monastery ruin. Luckily, the weather eventually got better, and thanks to the pilgrims' high spirits and some very good content from our guide\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Events"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stiklestadpilgrimcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/20200607_083835-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":389,"url":"https:\/\/www.stiklestadpilgrimcenter.org\/en_gb\/2018\/06\/04\/boat-lift-on-the-outer-path\/","url_meta":{"origin":237,"position":5},"title":"Boat lift on the outer path 2018","date":"June 4, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Pilgrims who need a boat lift from Tautra to Trondheim or from Frosta to Steinvikholmen \/ Stj\u00f8rdal can book a guided tour of the fjord from Frosta Leirskole. 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