St Mary's Church, Oslo, Norway

Standing: Must see · Heritage site
Rank: Rank 73 of 3,842

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

About St Mary's Church

St Mary's Church (Mariakirken) was a church in medieval Norway, and also a major landowner and a powerful political institution. It was the royal chapel with its own cathedral chapter, and from 1314 until some years after the Reformation its provost was also the Chancellor of Norway and keeper of the great seal; for this reason Oslo is regarded as the kingdom's capital from 1314. King Haakon V Magnusson and his queen Eufemia were married and are buried here. Today the remains are visible as a ruin in Middelalderparken (the Medieval Park).

Checked 2026-11-05 · Source

What's inside

The church was probably first built as a small wooden church around the 11th century, replaced around the 12th century by a single-nave stone church with choir and apse. After a major rebuilding in the 14th century in brick, with the nave extended westwards, two large west towers and a large new cruciform choir, it became one of the largest and most splendid churches in Norway. The Swedes set it on fire during their attack in 1523, and after the Reformation it was so dilapidated that it was demolished in 1542. The site was excavated in 1867 under Nicolay Nicolaysen.

Checked 2026-11-05 · Source

Place details and sources

Heritage designation: Automatically protected cultural heritage Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Architectural style: Gothic architecture Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Material: brick Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Wikipedia article: St. Mary's Church, Oslo Wikipedia · Checked 2026-09-09