Nidaros Cathedral

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Nidaros Cathedral
West portal
address Trondheim, Bispegata 11
Denomination Evangelical Lutheran
local community Parish Trondheim
Current usage Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Trondheim,
Church of the Presidents of the Norwegian Bishops' Conference.
building
Year of construction (s) 1090 first stone church,
1152–1320 large building,
from 1869 to 2001 restoration
style Neo-Gothic and Romanesque

The Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim (old name of the city: Nidaros ) is one of the most important churches in Norway , it is considered a national shrine. It had been the cathedral of the Norwegian Metropolitan since 1152 . Because the shrine of Olaf the Holy stood behind the high altar here , the cathedral was also nicknamed the “Heart of Norway”. After the Reformation it became the cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran bishops of Trondheim. In the Middle Ages and from 1818 to 1906, Nidaros Cathedral was the coronation site of the Norwegian kings . Here seven kings were crowned and ten were buried. Coronations no longer take place here. The Nidaros Cathedral has remained the episcopal church of the Diocese of Nidaros since the Reformation . Since 2011 it has also been the seat of the newly created office of presidents of the Norwegian Bishops' Conference .

The Archbishop's Palace adjoins the Nidaros Cathedral to the south.

history

precursor

The cathedral was built on the tomb of King Olav Haraldsson , who died in the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030 . When he was canonized a year after his death , a stream of pilgrims to his grave began. Shortly afterwards, under Magnus the Good , a small wooden chapel was built over the tomb. King Olav III. In 1070, “the calm” had the chapel replaced by a stone church, which was completed in 1090.

The Cathedral

The preserved medieval masonry, based on a drawing by J. Mathiesen

In 1152 they set about building a large cathedral based on Western European models as the seat of the Norwegian archbishop, first in the Anglo-Norman style , then in a Romanesque - Gothic transition style. The construction made great progress under Archbishop Øystein Erlendsson (term of office 1157 / 61–1188). After his return from a trip to England in 1185 the octagonal chapel (the "octagon") for the Shrine of Olav was built at the eastern end of the choir . Archbishop Sigurd Eindridesson (term of office 1231–1252) laid the foundation stone for the two-towered western front in 1248. In 1320 the cathedral was essentially completed.

Fires and conflicts

View from the north, 1661

The church was badly damaged by several fires in 1328, 1432 and 1531. Archbishop Erik Valkendorf had major repairs carried out around 1520 . But after the fire of 1531 a political crisis delayed reconstruction, in which three conflicts were intertwined. It was about the degree of Norwegian independence in the personal union with Denmark , about a Danish throne dispute and about the introduction of the Reformation . In 1537 Norway became Protestant and Archbishop Olav Engelbrektsson went into exile.

The reduced cathedral

View from the southeast, around 1830

When it was rebuilt from 1537 onwards, the interior was made smaller, and a partition was drawn in on the western edge of the transept and crossing. To the west of this, the building was not restored. Only the tower stumps and the outer walls received emergency roofs. In the eastern part, the long choir was given a flat ceiling. The crossing tower was raised to a height of 110 m with a high, pointed spire.

150 years later, in 1689, a storm destroyed the tower spire. In 1708 the whole church burned down to the ground. In 1719, when the rebuilding began, there was another fire caused by lightning. During the subsequent repair, the octagon was given a baroque hood. It was not until 1741 that the organ, which was destroyed in 1708, was replaced by a magnificent baroque instrument.

Increasing decay and recovery

The reflection on the cultural value of the Nidaros Cathedral began in 1762 with Gerhard Schøning's book Beskrivelse over den tilforn meget prægtige og vidtberønte Dom-Kirke i Trondhjem . In the 1820s, the painter Johan Christian Clausen Dahl created several illustrations of the venerable building. Damage to the octagon was discovered in 1833.

Heinrich Ernst Schirmer

Choir room with a view of the octagon, 1848
View from the west, 1839
West facade before reconstruction
Cracks in the aisle due to sagging crossing piers around 1890

In 1840, one of the pillars of the cathedral showed changes that meant it would soon collapse. Now the Ministry of Churches ( Kirkedepartementet ) was urgently looking for a solution to stop the decline. The then 27-year-old German architect Heinrich Ernst Schirmer was commissioned around 1841 to carry out investigations and studies for the restoration and restoration of the Nidaros Cathedral. At the same time, the historian Peter Andreas Munch researched the history of the building. Schirmer's first reconstruction plans were initially discarded for cost reasons, but his strong commitment to the project and the continued deterioration of the structure made the topic very popular in Norway over the next few decades.

1859 presented Schirmer along with Munch in exhibitions several boards with plans to rebuild the Cathedral and met with great attention. In 1869 the Dombauhütte (today Nidaros Domkirkes Restaureringsarbeider , NDR for short) was founded and the reconstruction of the cathedral began. However, Schirmer's artistic plans met with strong criticism from proponents of archaeological reconstruction. Since almost all historical models were missing, the reconstruction was largely based on speculation.

Christian Christie

View from the northeast, 1857
Reconstruction of an interior wall, drawing by Christie, around 1903
View from the northeast with a new octagon roof, 1890s

As early as 1872, Schirmer was replaced by master builder Christian Christie , who managed the construction until his death in 1906. Christie's commitment promised improvement in the reconstruction, but the cathedral was further reconstructed according to the concept of its predecessor Schirmer. During this time, under Christie's direction and main responsibility, the restoration of the choir and the octagon was pushed ahead, and the rebuilding of the western nave began. The western corner towers have not yet been taken into account. He wrote some preliminary studies for the reconstruction of the Nidaros Cathedral in the Gothic style , some of which were also carried out. Christie also thoroughly checked the usability of available archaeological material in order to bring the building closer to the historical original in contrast to its predecessor and to reconstruct the church on a solid basis. His main goal was to restore the Nidaros Cathedral to its original Gothic and Romanesque form. He systematically had all newer additions removed, including the baroque dome of the octagon. Christie's careful and precise work on the reconstruction received wide recognition in professional circles at the time, even if by today's standards his approach is viewed as insensitive and somewhat crude.

Nevertheless, the reconstruction of the Nidaros Cathedral under Christie was not without criticism even in his time, as he, like Schirmer, lacked reliable sources and archaeological material. Christie based the reconstruction on the theses of the French architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and the British Giles Gilbert Scott . These represented the principle of stylistic unity, which was already criticized at the time of Christie, because the buildings "restored" in this way could end up in a condition that they never had before. In the case of Nidaros Cathedral, this meant the destruction of valuable architectural parts from the 16th, 17th and early 19th centuries that, in Christie's opinion, did not fit stylistically with the reconstruction.

Shortly after the reconstruction and completion of the main tower in 1903, there were again critical voices about Christie's work as master builder. It was particularly criticized that, based on his architectural considerations, among other things, the height of the church tower was reconstructed too low and that he did not sufficiently adhere to archaeological evidence. According to his plans, the new, characteristic copper helmet roof was also built on the main tower of the cathedral in 1901, likewise without corresponding historical bases. Christie also developed the construction plans for the rebuilding of the western front of the cathedral. However, after his death they were discarded. Because of the increasing criticism of his approach, he was to be dismissed as master builder in 1905. However, the debates dragged on and no decision was reached. Christie was able to continue the restoration work on the cathedral until his death in 1906.

20th century

Afterwards, the Norwegian architect Henrik Bull (1864–1953) and from 1909 to 1925 Olaf Brochmann Nordhagen (1883–1925) led the reconstruction. In the conflict between Nordhagen's concept and the architectural theory of the historian Fredrik Macody Lund (1863–1943), an international commission was appointed, which unanimously voted in favor of Nordhagen. In 1930, the Trondheim-born architect Helge Thiis (1897–1972) took over the rebuilding of the cathedral. His plans for the western tower front were approved by Storting in 1949 . The towers were completed in 1964 and 1968. To date, around 30 craftsmen have been working outside and inside on workdays.

Description of the structure

Floor plan of the Nidaros Cathedral
The west facade, 1661
The west facade, 1930
View from the north, 2013

The entire structure has the dimensions 102 meters long, 50 meters wide (including the transept ) and is 21 meters high at the top of the vault. It is divided into the Gothic nave with the towers (construction period 1140–1180 and 1220–1240; repaired in 1328), the Romanesque transept with chapel (construction period 1140–1180), the sacristy (a northern extension from the period 1170–1180) , the octagon (construction period 1183–1210) and the main nave with the western front (construction period 1248–1320). Three towers rise above the cathedral building, two twin-like above the west choir and one in the middle above the crossing . The main building material is soapstone . Six portals provide access to the cathedral.

There are three chapels in the lower church that are not normally open to visitors. These are the Marienkapelle, the Olafskapelle and the Michaelkapelle.

Facades

The material of the decorative facades is soapstone . The west facade in the high Gothic style based on English models, such as Westminster Abbey, is considered the front of the cathedral . Of the 40 statues that used to decorate it, only five were preserved in the 19th century. The redesign from 1929 was carried out as a cassette facade with a large number of new statues that artistically represent people and stories from the Old Testament.

Interior view of the main nave, 2005
The west facade, 2013

Interior design and equipment

The cross ribbed vaults of the nave were all created during the reconstruction of the building. The octagon on the east side of the cathedral has been preserved almost unchanged since the 12th century and is considered the most authentic part of the Nidaros cathedral. It is formed inside by decorative arcades without a load-bearing function and contains reliefs and stone figures in a very naturalistic style. A sculpture on the octagon from the second quarter of the 14th century, which shows a musician with a kind of talharpa ( petting ), is significant for music history . In this apse (outer diameter 18 meters, inner diameter 10 meters) the shrine of King Olav Haraldsson, St. Olaf, was kept.

Inside the church there is also a pulpit from 1890, two baptismal fonts , one from 1728 by Jon Jensen, the second from 1905 by Gustav Vigeland , and an altarpiece.

The glass paintings were made by Gabriel Kielland (1908–1934) and Oddmund Kristiansen (1950–1985), inspired by French models such as Chartres Cathedral . Among other things, they depict the saga of King Olav Haraldsson and scenes from the Bible. During the reconstruction it was disputed whether colored windows should be used in the gables and how the western front should be designed as a whole. After an art competition, the Norwegian Parliament finally approved the implementation of the new design plans.

Organs

There are three organs in the cathedral : a largely original instrument from 1741 in the north transept, the main organ from 1930 in the western section, and a choir organ from 2015 in the high choir.

Wagner organ from 1741

Organ from 1741

The oldest organ was made in 1741 by the Berlin organ builder Joachim Wagner and installed in the north transept by his student Johann Peter Migendt . In 1812 the pedal mix was replaced by an 8 ′ drone . In 1860/1861 Claus Jensen added a récit on a third manual with six registers , replaced three parts in 1879 and added an 8 ′ bassoon in 1885. In 1930 a new Steinmeyer organ was installed behind the historic prospectus and in 1960 the entire organ was moved to the west gallery. A large part of the historical pipe material was stored and was preserved in this way. In 1994 Jürgen Ahrend reconstructed the baroque organ in the original arrangement in the north transept and extensively restored the work. The largely original instrument has 30 stops on two manuals and a pedal.

I main work CD – c 3
1. Drone 16 ′
2. Principal 08th'
3. Reed flute 08th'
4th Octav 04 ′
5. Pointed flute 04 ′
6th Quinta 03 ′
7th Octav 02 ′
8th. Forest flute 02 ′
9. Cornet III
10. Scharff V00
11. Mixture III
12. Trumpet 08th'
II Oberwerk CD – c 3
13. Dumped 8th'
14th Quintadena 8th'
15th Principal 4 ′
16. Reed flute 4 ′
17th Nasat 3 ′
18th Octav 2 ′
19th Tertia 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
20th Quinta 1 1 ⁄ 2  ′
21st Mixture IV
22nd Vox humana 00 8th'
Pedals CD – d 1
23. Subbas 16 ′
24. Principal 08th'
25th Quinta 06 ′
26th Octav 04 ′
27. Mixture V
28. trombone 16 ′
29 Trumpet 00 08th'
30th Cleron 04 ′

Steinmeyer organ from 1930

Steinmeyer organ

The main organ comes from the Steinmeyer company ; The instrument was originally installed in the north transept in 1930 on the occasion of the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Stiklestad , which also filled the organ completely; in the crossing of the cathedral stood the mobile console of the organ. The Rückpositiv initially protruded into the nave; For optical reasons, the Rückpositiv was moved to the back of the organ.

In 1960 the instrument was moved to the now rebuilt western part of the church. In the course of this, the instrument was also massively changed, in line with the changed (now neo-baroque) style ideals of the time; u. a. was the swell of the III. Manuals used as an independent, two-manual choir organ in the high choir; a number of (16 'and 8') registers that no longer corresponded to the taste of the time were stored in the neighboring bishopric, where some of them later fell victim to a fire. The swell of the II. Manual was outsourced and placed in front of the west wall in the north transept. In 1994, as part of the restoration or reconstruction of the Wagner organ, the historic case front was removed from the Steinmeyer organ.

From 2012 to 2014, Orgelbau Kuhn AG returned the instrument to its original disposition from 1930, with 17 registers having to be reconstructed or rebuilt. The new four-manual gaming table is also based on the historic gaming table from 1930, despite the latest technology. B. Despite the contemporary setting system, all historically existing game aids have been integrated. The re-inauguration took place on May 17, 2014 - Norway's national holiday and at the same time the 200th anniversary of the Eidsvoll constitution .

The instrument has 125 sounding stops (including 30 reed stops), 12 transmitted stops and two effect stops. The numbering of the registers corresponds to that on the gaming table. The electric fans and magazine bellows are installed in the basement of the cathedral below the organ. The two swell works (II. And III. Manual) are near the floor of the cathedral. The bellows of the individual sub-works are housed on a mezzanine floor above. The main work, Rückpositiv and pedal drawer are placed on the floor above. In the prospectus you can find the pipes of the open 32 'registers in their own shop. The Solowerk (high pressure plant) is located near the crossing in the south transept; the remote control is still in the crossing dome.

Pedal C – g 1
1. Subbourdon 32 ′
2. Contra violone 32 ′
3. Major bass 16 ′
4th Principal bass no.1 16 ′
5. Principal bass No. 2 (= No. 33) 16 ′
6th Contra bass 16 ′
7th Accordion bass 16 ′
8th. Sub bass 16 ′
9. Bourdon (= No. 34) 16 ′
10. Saliciona (= No. 61) 16 ′
11. Quintbass 10 2 ⁄ 3  ′
12. Octave bass 08th'
13. Principal (= No. 37) 08th'
14th violoncello 08th'
15th Dulciana (= No. 65) 08th'
16. Røhrfløite 08th'
17th Fløitebass 08th'
18th Kvint 05 1 ⁄ 3  ′
19th Octave 04 ′
20th Bach flute 04 ′
21st Ters 03 1 ⁄ 5  ′
22nd Forest flute 02 ′
23. Mixture V 05 1 ⁄ 3  ′
24. Pedal cornet V 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
25th Contra bombs 32 ′
26th Bombard 16 ′
27. Bass tuba (= No. 131) 16 ′
28. Bassoon (= No. 78) 16 ′
29 Tendrils (= No. 144) 16 ′
30th Trumpet 08th'
31. Clarin 04 ′
32. Chimes (= No. 59)
I main work C – c 4
33. Principal 16 ′
34. Bourdon 16 ′
35. Principal No. 1 08th'
36. Principal No. 2 08th'
37. Principal No. 3 08th'
38. Flauto major 08th'
39. Double covered 08th'
40. violoncello 08th'
41. Røhrfløite 08th'
42. Gemshorn 08th'
43. Kvint 05 1 ⁄ 3  ′
44. Octave 04 ′
45. Principal 04 ′
46. Fløite 04 ′
47. GrossTers 03 1 ⁄ 5  ′
48. Kvint 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
49. Super octave 02 ′
50. Ters 01 3 ⁄ 5  ′
51. Cornet V 04 ′
52. Mixture VI 02 ′
53. Cymbel III 01'
54. Bombard 16 ′
55. Tromba 08th'
56. Trumpet 08th'
57. Clairon harmonique 04 ′
58. Celesta
59. Chimes
II Swell C – c 4
60. Night horn 16 ′
61. Salicional 16 ′
62. Principal 08th'
63. Spissfløite 08th'
64. Covered 08th'
65. Dulciana 08th'
66. Unda maris 08th'
67. Kvintaten 08th'
68. Principal 04 ′
69. Fugara 04 ′
70. Røhrfløite 04 ′
71. Kvint 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
72. Sif flute 02 ′
73. Ters 01 3 ⁄ 5  ′
74. Larigot 01 1 ⁄ 3  ′
75. Septim 01 1 ⁄ 7  ′
76. Sedecima 01'
77. Mixture IV 02 ′
78. Contra bassoon 000 16 ′
79. Bassethorn 08th'
80. Clarinet 08th'
81. Trumpet 08th'
82. French horn 08th'
83. Euphone 04 ′
84. tremolo
III Swell II C – c 4
86. Violin principal 16 ′
87. Røhrfløite 16 ′
88 Principal major 08th'
89. Principal minor 08th'
90. Jubalfløite 08th'
91. Viennese flute 08th'
92. Bourdon 08th'
93. Viola di gamba 08th'
94. Gamba celeste 08th'
95. Aeoline 08th'
96. Voix celeste 08th'
97. Prestant 04 ′
98 Gambette 04 ′
99 Flute harmonique 04 ′
100. Small set 04 ′
101. Kvint 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
102. Piccolo 02 ′
103. Terts 01 3 ⁄ 5  ′
104. Cornet V 08th'
105. Plein jeu V 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
106. Trumpet 16 ′
107. Trumpet harmonique 0 08th'
108. Cornopean 08th'
109. Orkesteroboe 08th'
110. Vox humana 08th'
111. Clarin 04 ′
112. Harpe (= No. 58) 08th'
113. Harpe (ext. No. 58) 04 ′
114. tremolo
IV Fernwerk C – c 4 (swellable)
117. Bourdon 16 ′
118. viola 08th'
119. Viola celeste 08th'
120. Bourdon 08th'
121. Principalfløite 04 ′
122. Flageolet 02 ′
123. Mixture III 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
124. Trumpet 08th'
125. Pedalbourdon (from no.117 ) 0 16 ′
126. Vox humana 08th'
127. Tremolo (for No. 126)


IV Solo work C – c 4 (swellable)
128. Diapason stentor 08th'
129. Violin principal 08th'
130. Large mix V 04 ′
131. tuba 16 ′
132. tuba 08th'
133. Trumpet orchestral 0000 08th'
134. tuba 04 ′


Rückpositiv C – c 4
135. Mild principal 000000000000 08th'
136. Violfløite 08th'
137. Cor de Nuit 08th'
138. Prestant 04 ′
139. Bach flute 04 ′
140 Nasat 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′
141. recorder 02 ′
142. Night horn 01'
143. Cymbel IV 01 ⁄ 2 ′
144. Tendrils 16 ′
145. Krummhorn 08th'
146. tremolo
  • Couple
    • Normal coupling: II / I, III / I, III / II, IV / I, IV / II, IV / III, I / P, II / P, III / P, IV / P
    • Sub-octave coupling: II / I, II / II, III / I, III / II, III / III, IV / I, IV / II, IV / III, IV / IV
    • Octave coupling: II / I, II / II, III / I, III / II, III / III, IV / I, IV / II, IV / III, IV / IV, II / P, III / P
    • Unison: II off, III off
    • Rückpositiv: RP / I, RP / II, RP / III, RP / Ped
  • Remarks
  1. ↑ 49 notes (Cc 3 ).
  2. ↑ 26 notes (E, Gg 1 ).
  3. ↑ a b c d expanded to c 5 .

Torkildsen organ from 2015

Since the parts of the Steinmeyer organ that had been used as a choir organ since 1960 were reintegrated into the main organ in the western section, a new choir organ was commissioned in 2013. It was built by the Norwegian organ building company Br. Torkildsen Orgelbyggeri AS , installed in the southern triforium of the high choir and inaugurated on the 1st of Advent 2015. The slider chest instrument has 32 registers (including 2 extensions) on two manuals and pedal. The game and stop actions are electronic. The organ is connected to the Steinmeyer organ; Both instruments can be played from the console of the main organ as well as from the console of the choir organ via a common composer system - which is operated via a pull-out touchscreen. The console of the choir organ is designed with two manuals, but has rocker stops for the solo and remote work of the Steinmeyer organ, as these two works are placed closest to the choir organ. There are 10 fixed combinations for the other partial works in the west choir.

I main work C–
1. Drone 16 '
2. Principal 08th'
3. Rørfløyte 08th'
4th Gamba 08th'
5. Octave 04 ′
6th Spissfløyte 04 ′
7th Octave 02 ′
8th. Cornet III
9. Mikstur IV-V00
10. Trumpet 08th'
II Swell C–
11. Salicional 16 ′
12. Principal 08th'
13. Flute harmonique 08th'
14th Gedakt 08th'
15th viola 08th'
16. Vox Celeste 08th'
17th Fugara 04 ′
18th Traversfløyte 04 ′
19th Nasat 03 ′
20th Waldfløyte 02 ′
21st Ters 01 3 ⁄ 5  ′
22nd Mixture IV
23. Trumpet harmonique 08th'
24. Clarinet 08th'
Tremulant
Pedals C–
25th Violon 16 ′
26th Sub bass 16 ′
27. Principal 08th'
28. Gedakt 08th'
29 Octave (from No. 28) 04 ′
30th Basun 16 ′
31. Trumpet 08th'
32. Clarin (from No. 31) 00 04 ′
  • Coupling: I / I (sub-octave coupling), II / I (also as sub-octave coupling), II / II (sub-octave coupling), I / P, II / P

use

The Nidaros Cathedral is an active parish church for the Trondheim parish. Its organs are also used for concerts. There are five choirs in total; the eight-part boys' choir (Nidarosdomens Guttekor) , whose repertoire ranges from Gregorian chant to contemporary compositions , is the oldest in Norway and, in addition to regular performances in church services, also undertakes concert tours through Europe and North America.

There are guided tours for tourists from all over the world.

See also

Web links

Commons : Nidarosdom  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Petter Henriksen: Christian Christie . In: Store norske leksikon . Kunnskapsforlaget, Oslo 2007 (Norwegian)
  2. ↑ Gjermunt Kolltveit: The Early Lyre in Scandinavia. A survey. In: V. Vaitekunas (ed.): Tiltai, Vol. 3, University of Oslo, Oslo 2000, pp. 19-25, here p. 23
  3. ↑ Information on the Wagner organ ; the disposition , accessed on April 5 2020th
  4. ^ Project description on the website of the organ building company, accessed on April 9, 2013
  5. ↑ To the current disposition (PDF; 30 kB) on the website of the organ building company
  6. ↑ Festschrift for the inauguration of the choir organ (in Norwegian), accessed on January 17, 2020
  7. ↑ Information about the choir organ on the website of the organ builder (Norwegian)

Coordinates: 63 ° 25 ′ 36.7 ″  N , 10 ° 23 ′ 49.2 ″  E