The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-07-26
REMARKABLE
CATHEDRAL
WONDERFUL OLD PLACE or woR-
SHIP NEAR ARCTIC CIRCLE.

crowned IN the Cathedral OF Trondh
jem, says the London Times, the an
cient capital Of his new kingdom, tbs
nave Of that magnificent building was
as 1t now is. covered in by rough
planks Of wood From the interior il
was necessary to clear out an army Of
architects. modelers, sculptors, stone
masons and builders, for the Cathe'
dral has for many years past been
undergoing such reconstruction as, in
regard to some OF its portions,
amounts to rebuilding Il will proba-
bly, be such a restoration as will sat
isfy even those to whom almost all
restoration is abominable. The work
done SO far has been carried out in a
spirit of high reverence for the past,
under the superintendent of Herr
Christie, the most eminent of Norwe-
gian architects, who is devoting his
life to what Professor Dietrichson of
Christianna University calls Nor
ways noblest monument, the coun-
try's sacred treasure, the crown and
glory of its architecture" 1t was in
1869 that the present restoration was
begun. 1t has been continuously pro-
ceeding since that year, and is ex-
pected to reach completion by 1914,
when Norway will celebrate the hun
dredth anniversary of its restored in
dependence. The amount of money
expended will reach at least 5000, 900
kroner (eS93,OOO).
Near Arctic Circle.
Trondhjem, with its 10000 inhabi-
tants. not far from the outer rim of
the Arctic Circle, is a strange place
in which to find one of the most re-
markable of the Cathedrals Of Europe.
But, then, a great part of Europe
helped in the building of this magnifi-
cent monument to one who was held
to be hero, miracle-worker, martyr
and saint There were churches ded-
icated to st. Olaf in Novgorod and in
in Esthland and Ire
land, in England and Germany In
London there were four churches of !
st. Olave, two of which still remain.
At Trondhjem, then called Nidaros,
the mouth of the Ouse," the Cathed-
raj rose above King Olaf's shrine, and
On the very spot where his body had
Deen hidden after his last disastrous
light against Canute, who had added
he crown of Norway to those of Den
mark and England. To Olaf's shrine
md Olaf's well, which is embedded
within the Cathedral walls, came pill
,rims from all parts of Europe, bring {
ng their gifts with them BY the
Tide of small church there grew up {
larger one, and round the larger ,
me a great cruciform Cathedral, nota- ,
lie even more for it's architectural
plendor of detail than for it's mag r
lificence of size. G
Wonder of Norway. v
By the year 1900 the church was b
omplete and was the wonder of Nor 8
way. 1t was 324 feet long, with a i
reat central tower, three other tow Il
RS of smalled dimensions and many /,
urrets and pinnacles. There we're r
16 windows, 1850 pillows, and thirty f
We affairs, all richly decorated and t,
dorned. On the capitals of the col il
INNS weird and exquisite architec- O
iral fancies were lavished. The gen. h
raj effect was, perhaps, one of over n
The ornamentation of the n
apitals is very deeply cut. Quaint h
eads are mingled with floral designs,
nd the spirit of the maker of comic h.
argoyles asserts itself here and there. d.
The present restoration is one of is
ANY, for the cathedral was exceed OF
q bad fortune. 1t was three times h,
4 fire between 1928 and 1881. 1t m
as plundered in 1887, the silver al
lrine of ST Olaf being carried off to III
Dpenhagen. When the Swedes, cap of
red Trondhjem, in 1864, they
abbed their horses in the cathedral, =,
Id buried Olaf's body in a far away IN
unity church. There were fires
,ain in 1908 and 1719; and the re-
firing was then done in a slipshod
ID lrreverent fashion, capitals, col
ms, tracery, being used as ordinary
Hiding material, arches being OBJ ~
ured by new stone work, the nave -
It in ruins, the aisles shut off from ~
e chancel, the walls disfigured by
RS of wooded boxes used as pews -
lis was the condition of Trondhjem wy
thedral when the restoration was
gun in 1869 i'
nnl lAMr IA ANrInM