Day of King Olav II of Saint

First Christian King of NorwayOlsok Flag Day is the day of the death at the Battle of Stiklestad on July 29, 1030, of King Olav II Saint (Olav Haraldsson), the unifier of the state and patron saint of Norway. His name is associated with the introduction of Christianity in the country.

Saint Olaf II Haraldsson, King of Norway (1015-1030), the Baptist and Enlightener of the Norwegians, was for many centuries one of the most revered saints of Northern Europe. After the death of Olav in the battle with bonds at Stiklestad on July 29, 1030, numerous cases of miracle-working from his holy relics were noted, which were incorruptible.

The glorification of Olaf as a saint took place on August 3, 1031 (July 29). “Many then began to call on him in their prayers, asking for help in their needs,” says the saga about Olaf the Saint. Such prayers helped many: some were healed from the disease, others were lucky in traveling or anything else they needed. From the sandy hill where the king was first buried, a holy spring was hammered, from which people were cured of their ailments with water. His grave under a bush in the cathedral of the city of Nidaros (now Trondheim) became one of the largest centers of medieval pilgrimage. Temples were erected in his honor throughout Scandinavia and the Baltics.

In the town of Stiklestad, on the site of his last battle, a costume festival dedicated to the life and deeds of the Norwegian king continues all week before the celebration.

Saint Olaf

Norwegians carefully observe all the cultural and religious traditions of the times of this Norwegian king. Masses are held for pilgrims, concerts and performances in the medieval spirit are held, exhibitions in museums dedicated to the event are open.

One of the main distinguishing features of the holiday is a performance that reproduces the life and deeds of Olaf: The Saint Olav Drama. It attracts thousands of spectators every year and is recognized as the longest outdoor performance in Norway.

A huge medieval market is open all week, where guests can find authentic costumes and jewels of the era and take part in productions.

For many hundreds of years, certain attributes of the image of Olav have developed: a bearded warrior with a crown, with his right hand he holds an halberd (an axe on a long shaft), and with his left - either a vessel with incense or a symbol of power - a power. At his feet lies a dragon with a human head, symbolizing the pagans, the future Christians.

Saint Olaf is the last Western saint revered in the Christian East. In Russia, in the name of St. Olaf, churches were consecrated in Novgorod (where he lived for several years) and Staraya Ladoga.

On December 16, 2004, at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway on the initiative of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Norway to Russia Oyvind Nordsletten, the rite of consecration of the newly painted icon of St. Olaf, Heavenly Patron of Norway, took place. The consecration of the image was made by Archimandrite Mark (Golovkov), Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.

The icon of St. Olaf was painted in the workshop of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra by icon painter V. Fedorov on the basis of historical information about the life of the Norwegian king. Now she has taken an honorable place in the front hall of the Norwegian Embassy.