St. Olav's Cathedral, Oslo, Norway

Standing: Must see · Heritage site
Rank: Rank 31 of 3,842

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

About St. Olav's Cathedral

St. Olav's Cathedral (Sankt Olav domkirke) is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo and the parish church of St. Olav's parish. The neo-Gothic church, designed by Heinrich Ernst Schirmer and Wilhelm von Hanno, was built at Hammersborg with private donations and fundraising abroad, its most generous donor being the Catholic Queen Josephine. The first mass was celebrated on 24 August 1856, but the church was only consecrated on 8 August 1896, and it became a cathedral when the diocese was established in 1953.

Checked 2026-11-05 · Source

What's inside

Since the 1860s the cathedral has displayed in a showcase a relic said to be a bone from the arm of Saint Olav, Norway's patron saint. Pope John Paul II visited the cathedral during his 1989 tour of the Scandinavian countries. It is the second Catholic cathedral in Oslo's history. Masses and services are held in Norwegian and in several other languages, including English and Polish.

Checked 2026-11-05 · Source

Place details and sources

Wheelchair access: Available OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Building: Cathedral OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Type of place: Place of worship OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Established: 1852 Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Heritage designation: cultural heritage preservation in Norway Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Architectural style: Gothic Revival Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Religion: Christian OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Denomination: Catholic OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Material: brick Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Architect: Heinrich Ernst Schirmer Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Architect: Wilhelm von Hanno Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Wikipedia article: St. Olav's Cathedral, Oslo Wikipedia · Checked 2026-09-09