He
effectually
humbled the men of Galloway, so that he obliged them to cut down timber, and to carry it to the shore.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v7
That grand cathe- dral was founded in honour of the Most Holy Trinity, and it was richly en- dowed.
That magnificent church was erected, also, to receive St.
Olafs remains, and of it he became the titular patron.
Being Gothic in its general features,s6 this ancient structure was one justly deserving admiration.
This aniversary of the Translation of St.
OlaPs relics was afterwards observed as a solemn Feast; the 29th of July being regarded as the first Festival, while the 2nd or 3rd day of August was set down as the later or secondary Feast.
The Bishop Grimkele, who had such reverence for his friend, commanded King Olaf to be venerated in that church, to which his remains had been removed.
He was classed among the saints, and with the title of Martyr.
Many mira- cles were afterwards wrought through his intercession.
Meanwhile, Sweyn became exceedingly unpopular in Norway, where it is said he preferred the Danes, in all distributions of fiefs and honours, and where the fear of his fatherCanuteonlykeptthatcountryinsubjection.
57 Attheendoffiveyears,
that celebrated monarch
died,s
8 and the
Norwegians
were for insurrection. ripe
5 * Thus states Theodric, the monk of Ni-
:
drosia " Quomodo vero mox omnipotens
Deus nieritamartyris sui Olavi declaraverit, ccecis visum reddendo, et multa commoda
aegris mortalibus impendendo j et cjualiter episcopus Grimkel, qui Rut films fratris Sig-
1069. After a useful and happy reign, he
died on the 22nd of September, 1093.
s6 For the inspection of some beautiful
wardi episcopi, quern Olavus, filius Trygga,
secom adduxerat de Anglin, post annum et
quinque dies beatum corpus t terra levave-
rit, et in loco decenter ornato reposuerit, in
Nidrosiensi metropoli, quo statim, peracta mark, Sweden and Norway," vol. ii. , pugna, transvectum fuerat ; quia hsec omnia
a nonnullis memoriae tradita —nos notis
book ii. , chap, ii. , pp. 260, 261.
5i " Le rois dftnoif mourut en l'annec
sunt, immorari superfluum duximus. "
riade Regibus Norvegice," cap. xx.
" ilisto-
— " Histoirede la 1035. " Augustin Thierry's
55 He was son to Harald
sumamed
(Conquete de l'Angleterre par les Nor-
III. , Hardrade, and brother to Magnus II. , whom he succeeded as sole King of Norway in
mands,"
59 Sec S. A. Dunham's " History of Den-
views of the exterior and in- terior of the modern Throndjems Uomkirke, and drawn by H. Schirmer, the writer feels indebted to the Rev. Robert Foran, who visited the old city, and who saw its
lithographic
fine old church.
57 See S. A. Dunham's " History of Den-
tome liv. i. ,
ii. , p. 233.
mark, Sweden and Norway," vol. i. , chap.
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 489
In 1035, Magnus, surnamed the Good, the son of Olaf,-^ was called home from Russia, when Sweno was obliged to fly from Norway,60 and to take refuge in Denmark. At this time, Magnus was only eleven years of age. When Magnus had been acknowledged King of Norway, he greatly promoted the people'sdevotionforhisfather. Oneofthefirstfilialdutiesheassumedwas, to order the erection of an ornate sarcophagus, and it was formed in tomb-
shape.
It was covered with
gold,
silver and stones. 61 No sooner precious
had it been set up in that place destined to receive it, than many miracles
were there 62 the blind were often restored to the use of
wrought. Especially,
sight. Moreover, according to the usages of the middle ages, by ordinance of the laws and for a long time, the King of Norway and its nobles were
obliged to swear before this shrine, especially when great state engagements required, or when important affairs were at stake. The Bishop of Drontheim also consigned to the care of King Magnus that key which enclosed his father'sremains. Onceeachyear,Magnusopenedthesarcophagusandcutthe hair as also the nails. Generally on those occasions, several miracles were wrought ; and very curious traditional particulars have been transmitted to us,
from that distant 63 age.
of a 6 * at that chapel,
Moreover, Magnus,
is said to have the erection begun
and before it had been buried in the sands. In. the middle of Drontheim also was to be seen that port—called after St. Olaf—and where his remains were received, before they had been exhibited for public veneration. On the death of his brother, Harald^—remarkable for his avarice and cruelty—is said to have been recalled to Norway, about the year 1047. Afterwards, he ravaged the Danish coasts with fire and sword. 65 He put Sven to flight, and so long as he lived, a fierce war was waged between them. Harald was generally hated by all his subjects, on account of his truculence, although admired for his bravery. He followed alternately the role of pirate and knight-erant, of viking, and of varing, as expressed in the language of the North. 66 He was a very different character from his brother, and greatly addicted to magic practices ; while he robbed various churches, and put many Christians to death. Still, some his- torians67highlyextolhimforwisdom. 68 Whenmiraclessoonafterhisdeath
iii. , pp. 273, 274.
60 See Edward A. Freeman's " History of
gregem (ut interpretatur auctor) immensium claudorum caecorumque, aut aliter cegrotam-
the Norman Conquest of England, its Causes
tium, jam turn recepta valetudine integram
lonely hut,
where the
body
of his father
lay,
inde dicessisse perhibet. ''—" Historic Re- 61 Torfseus adds " anteridis in formam rum Norvegicarum," tomus iii. , lib. iii. , cap.
and its Results," vol. i. , chap, vi. , p. 533. :
superne pectinatum, postica parte laminis connexum, antica sera pensili clausum, columellis sustentum. "—" Historic Rerum
Norvegicarum," tomus iii. , lib. iii. , cap. xvi. ,
xi. , pp. 2IO, 21 1.
64 This is thought to have been finished
by King Harald III. , surnamed Hardrade, who began to reign over Norway in 1047, and who was killed at the celebrated battle of
Stansfort Bridge, in England, September
p. 62
226. >
Some of these are related by Siguat, the scald and satellite of King Magnus.
63 Thus Torfoeus writes " un- : Capilli,
guiumque pnesecandorum curam utrumque enim, tanquam vivo, crevisse episcopum gessisse. His testimonium perhibent car- mina duorum poetarum, qui hsec ipsa coram inspexerunt, vetustate sua authoritatem omni exceptione majorem sibi vindicantia : pri- mum familiaris ejus Siguati, qui capillos ere- visse afnrmat ; secundum Thorarini Loft- ungae, eo invictoe fidei, quod odse, quse Glelogn dicitur, honoii Sueni, Alfifae filii dicatae, hsec inseruerit, ubi pneter crinium unguiumque incrementum, ipse, qui proesens
See Augustin Thierry's
"
His-
apud Suenum, campanas sponte sonare,
sponte candelas super altare accendi, Anglo-Saxons : comprising the History of
25th, 1066.
toire de la
Normands," tome i. , liv. iii. , pp. 337 to 345.
6s The better to resist Danish aggressions, he built Opsolo, now Christiania, the capi- tal city of Norway, at the head of Bjorwigen Bay, and at the embouchure of the River Agger, on a Fiord of the most extraordinary and romantic beauty. This city lies opposite
Conquete
de l'Angleterre par les
Denmark and to the north.
** "
See Augustin Thierry's Histoire de la Conquete de l'Angleterre par les Normands," tome i. , liv. iii. , p. 312.
6; Such as Snorre Sturleson.
68 "
See Sharon Turner's History of the
49o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29.
announced the glory of St. Olaf in heaven, numberless oblations and trea- sures were presented at his shrine. However, the impious Ilarald seized on these valuables, and he distributed them among his rapacious soldiery. Whereupon, the Archbishop remonstrated with him, regarding such unnatural and impious conduct. But, Harald despised these reproofs, saying he did
not recognise any archbishop in Norway, nor any person as having authority
there but only himself. Many other evil deeds he wrought and bad speeches
he made, before his intolerable pride brought about his ruin. 6* Before
setting out on his fatal English expedition, in 1066, Harald opened the
shrine of St. Olaf for the last time ; when, having according to the established
usage cut the hair and nails, he closed the case, and threw the key into the
River Nid. ? ° This happened about thirty-five or thirty-six years after St. Olafs death.
Immediately after the death of Harald Hardrade, his eldest son succeeded him as ruler in the kingdom of Norway, under the title of Magnus ll. '1 At first, he reigned alone, but to secure himself better against the Danes, he ceded a part of his kingdom to his brother Olaf, surnamed Kyrre, or the
in 2 Nor did he Pacific, 1067. 7
survive that for arrangement, Magnus
long
died two years subsequently, when only about thirty-four years of age. On
the death of his father, Olaf Kyrre, Magnus III. ascended the Norwegian throne, in 1093. 73 He was a warlike and an enterprising king. After the death of Harthseknut, Magnus reigned in Norway and Dacia. 74 In the year 1098, the body of St. Olaus was examined, by Magnus Olaveson," King of Norway, and it was found to be without any sign of corruption. He had ordered the tomb to be opened, contrary to the wishes and remonstrances of
the Bishop and clergy ; but, the king audaciously persevered, and by royal mandate the shrine was opened. However, when with his own eyes he had seen the body of St. Olaf so fresh in appearance, and had touched it with his hands, a great fear came over him, as if he had repented such a profana- tion, when in great trepidation and haste he departed. The following night he had a vision, in which St. Olaf, the King and Martyr, appeared to him, saying: " Chose one of two alternatives, either to lose thy life and kingdom within thirty days, or to leave Norway, and never to see it more. " Awaking in great alarm, the king called together his chiefs and counsellors, relating his vision. These were much alarmed, and they advised him without loss of time to quit Norway. Accordingly, he gave orders to prepare a fleet, con- sisting of one hundred and sixty ships. With this armament he sailed for the Orkneys, and for the Western Islands of Scotland, which he desired to subject to himself. Afterwards, Magnus became celebrated for his conquests;
from the Earliest Period to the Norman Conquest," vol. ii. , book vi. , chap. xiv. , p. 355-
Hoefier's " Nouvelle " Biographie Generale,
tome xxxii. , col. 727.
England
cap.
" Quo vero fine Haral-
History
tie reigned as sole King of Norway, 69 See Adam of Bremen's " Historic Ec- from a. d. 1069 to 1093. See S. A. Dun-
clesiasticoe Ecclesiae Hamburgensis et Brc-
mensis, vicinorumque Locorum Septen- trionalium, ab anno 788 ad 1076," lib. iii. ,
"
ham's History of Denmark, Sweden and
Norway," vol. ii. , book ii. , chap, ii. , pp. 264, 265.
xviii.
7° Torfaeus adds
73 See S. A. Dunham's "
of Den- bookii. ,
:
mark, Sweden and Norway," vol. ii. ,
dus claves projecerit, nemini constat. Cor-
ruptionem sensisse credi posset ; ni post an-
chap, ii. , pp. 265 to 267.
74 gee " Incerti Auctoris (qui vergente se-
nos incorruptum deprehensum esset. Nam culo XIII. vixisse videtur) Chronica Dano-
an aliud identidem unguentis dilibutum sub- rum, et pnecipue Sialandiae, seu Chronologia
stitutum fuerit, haud immeiito dubitatur. "
— RerumDanicarumabannoChristiM. XXVIII.
"
tomus iii. , lib. v. , cap. xvii. , p. 350.
Torfeus'
Historiae Rerum Norvegicarum,"
ad Ann. mcclxxxii. cum Appendice Chro-
nolog. usque ad Ann. mcccvii. , p. 5.
71 He was born at
about the year 1035. Sec M. Le Dr. raade.
Opslo, nowChristiania,
75 He was of Harald-IIard- grandson
~
2
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 49 t
having obtained possession of the Orkneys and also of the Isle of Man. Landing in the latter, at St. Patrick's Isle, he surveyed a field of battle where the Manks had lately encountered, and where many dead bodies still lay unburied. The prospect of Man pleased him exceedingly, and there he resolvedtoreside. Heconstructedsomefortresses,also,whichsubsequently bore his name.
He effectually humbled the men of Galloway, so that he obliged them to cut down timber, and to carry it to the shore. He obliged them,
to fix this on his entrenchments. ? 6 his ambition and love for But,
likewise,
conquest brought him to Ireland, A. D. 1103, where in a predatory excursion he was slain by the Ulidians. 7?
To who flourished in the twelfth 8 has Archbishop Eysten, century,?
been attributed the completion of that magnificent cathedral of Dron- theim, commenced by King Olave Kyrre. The shrine of St. Olaf was then regarded as one of the richest treasures preserved in that city; and, doubtless, the zealous prelate took care, that it should occupy the most conspicuous place therein, for reverence of his flock. In due course, itwashonourablyplacedinthatgrandcathedralchurchofDrontheim. It was adorned with gold and jewels of immense value, the result of rich offer- ings. Great miracles are recorded, as having taken place at the tomb of St. 01aus,79 while numbers of devout pilgrims flocked thither, to experience the benefits of his intercession. The church of Drontheim, in after times, was regarded as one of the noblest in the North.
Owing to a traditional reverence, St. Olaf was acknowledged as the
8°
Its mediaeval kings were crowned, also, under his patronage. Before the Protestant Reformation invaded Norway, its noble cathedral of Drontheim was considered to be one ofthegloriesofChristendomforextent,style,andelaborateconstruction. A fire had damaged the foundations, near the altar; but, in the year 1530, that
81
damage had been repaired at considerable expense.
cent cathedral, it had an invaluable library attached, with a sacristy containing sacred books, chalices, vestments and other objects of great value. The fanatical Reformers proceeded, at the time when their sway extended over
the North, to despoil churches and monasteries, tearing down sacred images, pictures and shrines. To such lengths did they proceed, at Drontheim, that one Otto Stigius removed the books and manuscripts contained in the library, when, like a true Vandal, he took care to have them burned in the public
82
special patron of the kingdom of Norway, in ri64.
cemetery. Moreover, a large silver crucifix,
which required the strength
76 See the Rev. James Johnstone's "Anti- the Emperor Charles V. , Munster writes :
qnitates Celto-Normannicse," Chronicon "impensa —imputantur ad seplem millia
Mannioe, pp. io, 1 1.
? 7 See a more detailed account of him, at
the 16th of April, the Feast of St. Magnus,
Earl of the Orkney Islands, and Martyr, in Scotland, in the Fourth Volume of this work, Art. ii.
78 According to Undalin, he presided as Archbishop over Drontheim, from A. D. 1161 to A. D. 1 184.
79 Thus, Eynar Skuldesen, a scald of the twelfth century, has composed a Poem in honour of St. Olaf, in which he mentions his miracles and visions. This poem is inserted in the work of Snorro Sturleson, published at Copenhagen.
jBiographie Generate, tome xxxviii. , col. rum multitudinem prostravit. Inopinata 584. Art. Olaf II. , saint. autem potitus victoria, cum lcetitia ac multis V In his " Cosmographia," dedicated to spoliis reversus, crucem fecit argenteam
80 See M. Le Dr. Hoefer's " Nouvelle "
vir genere prseclarus et armis potens. " He had entered upon an alliance with the Norse
man King of Dublin, to engage on a pirati- cal expedition against the shores of Britain. They. obtained muchbooty, and in the matter of division, the regal robber refused his share to the other thief. Whereupon, Guttornin invoked the aid of St. Olave, and with a greatly inferior force, he attacked the King
of Dublin, obtaining a complete victory over him. Then we read: "Ope Christi et Gloriosi Martyris intervenlu totum barbaro-
Besides the magnifi-
aureorum. " Lib. iv.
82 This was. the gift of an Irish Scandina-
vian chief named Guttorninus orGuthorinus,
"
natione Noricus, scilicet beati Olavi nepos,
4<p LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29.
of three men to carry in procession, and which stood before St. Olafs shrine, was carried off, and destroyed. The rich silver loailus, within which his remains lay—then resting in a wooden coffin enclosed—and all the jewels,
8
gold and silver ornaments 3 attached, were taken away, so that the grand
cathedral of Drontheim was robbed of its priceless ornaments, and left a sad wreck. In the year 1541, the Lutherans thus plundered St. Olafs rich shrine, but they treated the sacred remains with respect, leaving the body in the same place where the shrine had stood, in the inner wooden case. However, when that ship, which sailed with the greatest part of those shrine treasures, reached the Denmark road, it perished at sea, and what remained of the booty was sequestered on land, so that nothing came into the king's possession.
Drontheim cathedral was burned by lightning; and, except the choir portion, muchofthenavewasthrowndownandgreatlydamaged. Thegrandcathe- dral lasted after Lutheranism had prevailed in Norway ; and, in it, a Lutheran
8
Bishop, with twenty-four Canons, officiated. * After the middle of the six-
teenth century, when war broke out between the Danes and Swedes, the latter
got possession of Drontheim, in 1564. Then the body and coffin of St. Olaf were buried in the ground. At this time, Norway and Denmark were under the government of the same monarch, Frederick II. His army succeeded in routingtheSwedes,andinrecoveringDrontheim. Then,itwasresolvedto remove St. Olafs remains from that grave in which they had been deposited. This translation took place with great public solemnities ; the ecclesiastics of every grade, the nobles, the military, and the people of that city, attended in great numbers. We are informed, that in 1568, the body of our saint was decently buried in Drontheim cathedral, where a cenotaph had been prepared foritsreception. Atthistime,too,wasseenthewell-preservedbodywhole, and in a dry condition ; the stature of the corpse being large and becoming a chief ; the beard was red ; the nose appeared to be contracted with dry- ness, and on it was noticed a wound, which seemed like a hard and dried-up portion of wood. At that date, nearly five hundred and forty years had elapsed, since his first interment ; yet, it was noticed, that St. Olafs body had not become the prey of worms, nor was it at all corrupt. This had been attested by a Lutheran, to the Lutheran minister Undalin, who relates all the foregoing circumstances, and doubtless, many Protestants as well as Catholics, who must have been then living there, were witnesses of this preternatural spectacle. Various great miracles are recorded, as having been wrought through the intercession of St. Olaf, when the people began to hold his
in and those continued 8*
memory
mirse magnituclinis, longe humani corporis molem excedentem, et posuit earn in eccle-
sia Beati Martyris ad corpus ejus, in divini
et victoriae, — triumphi inopinatce quam per
mcrita ejus obtinuerat, monumentum. " " Acta Brevia," auctore anonymo, ex Pas* sionali pergamento Ms. ccenobii Bodecensis,
during many succeeding ages.
the "Acta Sanctorum," tomus vii. , Julii
xxix. De S. Olavo, Rege et Martyre, Nidro-
sice in Norvegia. Acta Brevia, cap. ii. , pp.
as also in the
115, 116, Appendix, pp. 117
to 120.
86 See "A Memorial of British Piety,"
by Bishop Challenor, p. no.
veneration,
cap. ii. , sect. 14, 15.
83 According to Undalin
See Rev. Dr. Oliver's "Collections. " There, too, many of the old French Huguenot refugees were buried within its walls. See Isacke's "Memorials of the City of Exeter," published at first in 1677, and afterwards another edition appeared in
1 723.
89
Every trace of it has long since dis- appeared, but human remains beneath the soil yet attest the place of an ancient ceme- tery surrounding it. The writer was in-
— ministerwhowrot—etowardsthecloseofthe
sixteenth century one of those ornaments
had been the gift of Archbishop Eric Val-
kendorp, and it is said, "butyri viginti ton- narum emerat. "
8*
Descriptio Europse," tomus iii. , p. 687. 85 Many of these arc recorded, and taken
"
According to Davicius, in his work,
from various sources, by the Bollandists, in
• 8?
a 88 Lutheran
/
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 493
Wherever the Northmen extended their sway, they did not forget to build churches in honour of St. Olave, or as sometimes called, St. Tooley. In England,IrelandandScotlandsucherectionswereknown. Thus,nearthe city of London, on the Southwark side of the River Thames, a street called after him still exists, and it indicates the site of a former church. No less than four parishes in London were dedicated to God in his name, while many other churches in honoured him as the 86 A church was
England patron.
dedicated to St. Olave in Exeter, England, and its foundation dates back to
an early period of the middle ages. It is sometimes asserted, that a burying- ground was attached to St. Olave's church, because human bones are frequently discovered near it. The fact is, the cemetery of St. Nicholas
8
extended in its direction to Fore-street. ? After the Revocation of the Edict
of Nantes, a number of French Huguenots settled in Exeter, and the Pro- testant bishop gave them St. Olave's for use. There service was performed
88
for them in the French language, down to about 1758.
To the early Danish inhabitants of Dublin, who were chiefly of
Norwegian extraction, has been ascribed the erection of a church to St. Olave.
In Fishamble-street, and on the west side, in Dublin city, a church had been
8
built and dedicated to him. The church of St. Olave, thus erected, ? stood at the
foot of that old street, the lower portion of which, leading to Essex-quay, used to be called St. Tulloch's-lane. s° A strange mistake has been made by
1 who
stood on the Castle steps, where Sir James Ware's mansion was afterwards
Archdall^
states,
that St. Olave's was a Bristolian and that it Abbey,
erected. ^2 A
with the old historic records and the
very slight acquaintance
topographical arrangements of Dublin should have dispelled that notion. ^ The site is now occupied by the city Corporation yard, and excavations near it disclose the fact of a cemetery having been there. During the time Dublin had been occupied by the earlier English settlers, St. Olave's or St. Tulloch's church lapsed into decay. The church of St. John the Evangelist, on the upper part of Fishamble-street,? 4 was erected at first under the invocation of St. John the Baptist, before the English came over here. It was united to St. Tulloch's or St. Olave's, in 1530. 9s Soon after, this church fell into com- plete decay, and afterwards St. John's represented the older church of St. Olave, or St. Tulloch. Moreover, Stanihurst, who wrote after the middle of the six-
6
teenth century, states, that it was then prophaned. ?
Queen Elizabeth, among other property belonging to Jaques Wingfold, Master of the Ordnance in Ireland, the old church with the appurtenances called St. Tulloch's in Fishamble-street, Dublin, were to be seized for the Queen's use to discharge his debts to her. 97 After the union of the parish
formed—now many years ago—by an old and accomplished citizen of Dublin, Dr. Willis,
senior, that in his young days during the last century the people were accustomed to call the site St. Tulloch's.
50 See John T. Gilbert's " History of the
City of Dublin," vol. i. , chap, ii. ,' pp. 48
John the Evangelist's church stood in Bove- street.
^ " It is the third church which has been
incorporated with the priory of the Holy Trinity (Christ Church Cathedral) since the Conquest, and in our own day Arnold Ussher has rebuilt it from the foundation? , Our mansion was within its precincts, as is
"
to
50.
recorded in new —
91 " In his
73> 174*
King is quoted, p. 140.
92 This is controverted by Walter Harris,
93 This mistake is noticed, in the Bishop of Ossory's new edition of Archdall's book.
H In the time of Archbishop Alan, St.
l
Monasticon Hibernicum," pp.
F°r this statement, however, Alan's Repertorium Viride. "
in his "
of Dublin," chap, iv. , sect. hi. , p. 86.
s6 He adds : "In this church in old time the familie of the Fitzsimons was for tie more part buried. The paroch was meared from the Crane Castell to the fish shamble--, called the Cockhill, with Preston his innes. and the lane thereto adjoining, which seo^e is now united to St. John his paroch. "
History
and Antiquities of the City
During the reign of
my register. " Archbishop
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29. with St. John's, the former disestablished church, churchyard, and two houses
3
It is said, or supposed, that the Danes originally built that old church, now to be seen in the parish of Tully, barony of Rathdown, and county of Dublin, having dedicated it to St. Olave, King of Norway. ? ? It has the appearance
of being ancient, being of small proportions, and having a rounded chancel- arch. It is now in a ruinous condition. Two remarkable Irish crosses are near it : one cross stands in the middle of the road, just outside the cemetery
100
494
built thereon, were granted by James I. to Sir Christopher Byshe. 9
wall, and it has been left on an elevated pedestal,
since the road had been
Ancient Cross and Ruined Church at Tully, or Tulach n-Easpog, County of Dublin.
levelled, while the other remains in an adjoining field, and it is of consider-
able Abeautiful height.
of church,101 Tullagh
from a
and of the old cemetery Celtic crosses, is to be found engraved in Grose's
"
view,
102
Antiquities of Ireland. "
In the Shetland Islands, as in other parts of Scotland, St.
that celebrated monarch
died,s
8 and the
Norwegians
were for insurrection. ripe
5 * Thus states Theodric, the monk of Ni-
:
drosia " Quomodo vero mox omnipotens
Deus nieritamartyris sui Olavi declaraverit, ccecis visum reddendo, et multa commoda
aegris mortalibus impendendo j et cjualiter episcopus Grimkel, qui Rut films fratris Sig-
1069. After a useful and happy reign, he
died on the 22nd of September, 1093.
s6 For the inspection of some beautiful
wardi episcopi, quern Olavus, filius Trygga,
secom adduxerat de Anglin, post annum et
quinque dies beatum corpus t terra levave-
rit, et in loco decenter ornato reposuerit, in
Nidrosiensi metropoli, quo statim, peracta mark, Sweden and Norway," vol. ii. , pugna, transvectum fuerat ; quia hsec omnia
a nonnullis memoriae tradita —nos notis
book ii. , chap, ii. , pp. 260, 261.
5i " Le rois dftnoif mourut en l'annec
sunt, immorari superfluum duximus. "
riade Regibus Norvegice," cap. xx.
" ilisto-
— " Histoirede la 1035. " Augustin Thierry's
55 He was son to Harald
sumamed
(Conquete de l'Angleterre par les Nor-
III. , Hardrade, and brother to Magnus II. , whom he succeeded as sole King of Norway in
mands,"
59 Sec S. A. Dunham's " History of Den-
views of the exterior and in- terior of the modern Throndjems Uomkirke, and drawn by H. Schirmer, the writer feels indebted to the Rev. Robert Foran, who visited the old city, and who saw its
lithographic
fine old church.
57 See S. A. Dunham's " History of Den-
tome liv. i. ,
ii. , p. 233.
mark, Sweden and Norway," vol. i. , chap.
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 489
In 1035, Magnus, surnamed the Good, the son of Olaf,-^ was called home from Russia, when Sweno was obliged to fly from Norway,60 and to take refuge in Denmark. At this time, Magnus was only eleven years of age. When Magnus had been acknowledged King of Norway, he greatly promoted the people'sdevotionforhisfather. Oneofthefirstfilialdutiesheassumedwas, to order the erection of an ornate sarcophagus, and it was formed in tomb-
shape.
It was covered with
gold,
silver and stones. 61 No sooner precious
had it been set up in that place destined to receive it, than many miracles
were there 62 the blind were often restored to the use of
wrought. Especially,
sight. Moreover, according to the usages of the middle ages, by ordinance of the laws and for a long time, the King of Norway and its nobles were
obliged to swear before this shrine, especially when great state engagements required, or when important affairs were at stake. The Bishop of Drontheim also consigned to the care of King Magnus that key which enclosed his father'sremains. Onceeachyear,Magnusopenedthesarcophagusandcutthe hair as also the nails. Generally on those occasions, several miracles were wrought ; and very curious traditional particulars have been transmitted to us,
from that distant 63 age.
of a 6 * at that chapel,
Moreover, Magnus,
is said to have the erection begun
and before it had been buried in the sands. In. the middle of Drontheim also was to be seen that port—called after St. Olaf—and where his remains were received, before they had been exhibited for public veneration. On the death of his brother, Harald^—remarkable for his avarice and cruelty—is said to have been recalled to Norway, about the year 1047. Afterwards, he ravaged the Danish coasts with fire and sword. 65 He put Sven to flight, and so long as he lived, a fierce war was waged between them. Harald was generally hated by all his subjects, on account of his truculence, although admired for his bravery. He followed alternately the role of pirate and knight-erant, of viking, and of varing, as expressed in the language of the North. 66 He was a very different character from his brother, and greatly addicted to magic practices ; while he robbed various churches, and put many Christians to death. Still, some his- torians67highlyextolhimforwisdom. 68 Whenmiraclessoonafterhisdeath
iii. , pp. 273, 274.
60 See Edward A. Freeman's " History of
gregem (ut interpretatur auctor) immensium claudorum caecorumque, aut aliter cegrotam-
the Norman Conquest of England, its Causes
tium, jam turn recepta valetudine integram
lonely hut,
where the
body
of his father
lay,
inde dicessisse perhibet. ''—" Historic Re- 61 Torfseus adds " anteridis in formam rum Norvegicarum," tomus iii. , lib. iii. , cap.
and its Results," vol. i. , chap, vi. , p. 533. :
superne pectinatum, postica parte laminis connexum, antica sera pensili clausum, columellis sustentum. "—" Historic Rerum
Norvegicarum," tomus iii. , lib. iii. , cap. xvi. ,
xi. , pp. 2IO, 21 1.
64 This is thought to have been finished
by King Harald III. , surnamed Hardrade, who began to reign over Norway in 1047, and who was killed at the celebrated battle of
Stansfort Bridge, in England, September
p. 62
226. >
Some of these are related by Siguat, the scald and satellite of King Magnus.
63 Thus Torfoeus writes " un- : Capilli,
guiumque pnesecandorum curam utrumque enim, tanquam vivo, crevisse episcopum gessisse. His testimonium perhibent car- mina duorum poetarum, qui hsec ipsa coram inspexerunt, vetustate sua authoritatem omni exceptione majorem sibi vindicantia : pri- mum familiaris ejus Siguati, qui capillos ere- visse afnrmat ; secundum Thorarini Loft- ungae, eo invictoe fidei, quod odse, quse Glelogn dicitur, honoii Sueni, Alfifae filii dicatae, hsec inseruerit, ubi pneter crinium unguiumque incrementum, ipse, qui proesens
See Augustin Thierry's
"
His-
apud Suenum, campanas sponte sonare,
sponte candelas super altare accendi, Anglo-Saxons : comprising the History of
25th, 1066.
toire de la
Normands," tome i. , liv. iii. , pp. 337 to 345.
6s The better to resist Danish aggressions, he built Opsolo, now Christiania, the capi- tal city of Norway, at the head of Bjorwigen Bay, and at the embouchure of the River Agger, on a Fiord of the most extraordinary and romantic beauty. This city lies opposite
Conquete
de l'Angleterre par les
Denmark and to the north.
** "
See Augustin Thierry's Histoire de la Conquete de l'Angleterre par les Normands," tome i. , liv. iii. , p. 312.
6; Such as Snorre Sturleson.
68 "
See Sharon Turner's History of the
49o LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29.
announced the glory of St. Olaf in heaven, numberless oblations and trea- sures were presented at his shrine. However, the impious Ilarald seized on these valuables, and he distributed them among his rapacious soldiery. Whereupon, the Archbishop remonstrated with him, regarding such unnatural and impious conduct. But, Harald despised these reproofs, saying he did
not recognise any archbishop in Norway, nor any person as having authority
there but only himself. Many other evil deeds he wrought and bad speeches
he made, before his intolerable pride brought about his ruin. 6* Before
setting out on his fatal English expedition, in 1066, Harald opened the
shrine of St. Olaf for the last time ; when, having according to the established
usage cut the hair and nails, he closed the case, and threw the key into the
River Nid. ? ° This happened about thirty-five or thirty-six years after St. Olafs death.
Immediately after the death of Harald Hardrade, his eldest son succeeded him as ruler in the kingdom of Norway, under the title of Magnus ll. '1 At first, he reigned alone, but to secure himself better against the Danes, he ceded a part of his kingdom to his brother Olaf, surnamed Kyrre, or the
in 2 Nor did he Pacific, 1067. 7
survive that for arrangement, Magnus
long
died two years subsequently, when only about thirty-four years of age. On
the death of his father, Olaf Kyrre, Magnus III. ascended the Norwegian throne, in 1093. 73 He was a warlike and an enterprising king. After the death of Harthseknut, Magnus reigned in Norway and Dacia. 74 In the year 1098, the body of St. Olaus was examined, by Magnus Olaveson," King of Norway, and it was found to be without any sign of corruption. He had ordered the tomb to be opened, contrary to the wishes and remonstrances of
the Bishop and clergy ; but, the king audaciously persevered, and by royal mandate the shrine was opened. However, when with his own eyes he had seen the body of St. Olaf so fresh in appearance, and had touched it with his hands, a great fear came over him, as if he had repented such a profana- tion, when in great trepidation and haste he departed. The following night he had a vision, in which St. Olaf, the King and Martyr, appeared to him, saying: " Chose one of two alternatives, either to lose thy life and kingdom within thirty days, or to leave Norway, and never to see it more. " Awaking in great alarm, the king called together his chiefs and counsellors, relating his vision. These were much alarmed, and they advised him without loss of time to quit Norway. Accordingly, he gave orders to prepare a fleet, con- sisting of one hundred and sixty ships. With this armament he sailed for the Orkneys, and for the Western Islands of Scotland, which he desired to subject to himself. Afterwards, Magnus became celebrated for his conquests;
from the Earliest Period to the Norman Conquest," vol. ii. , book vi. , chap. xiv. , p. 355-
Hoefier's " Nouvelle " Biographie Generale,
tome xxxii. , col. 727.
England
cap.
" Quo vero fine Haral-
History
tie reigned as sole King of Norway, 69 See Adam of Bremen's " Historic Ec- from a. d. 1069 to 1093. See S. A. Dun-
clesiasticoe Ecclesiae Hamburgensis et Brc-
mensis, vicinorumque Locorum Septen- trionalium, ab anno 788 ad 1076," lib. iii. ,
"
ham's History of Denmark, Sweden and
Norway," vol. ii. , book ii. , chap, ii. , pp. 264, 265.
xviii.
7° Torfaeus adds
73 See S. A. Dunham's "
of Den- bookii. ,
:
mark, Sweden and Norway," vol. ii. ,
dus claves projecerit, nemini constat. Cor-
ruptionem sensisse credi posset ; ni post an-
chap, ii. , pp. 265 to 267.
74 gee " Incerti Auctoris (qui vergente se-
nos incorruptum deprehensum esset. Nam culo XIII. vixisse videtur) Chronica Dano-
an aliud identidem unguentis dilibutum sub- rum, et pnecipue Sialandiae, seu Chronologia
stitutum fuerit, haud immeiito dubitatur. "
— RerumDanicarumabannoChristiM. XXVIII.
"
tomus iii. , lib. v. , cap. xvii. , p. 350.
Torfeus'
Historiae Rerum Norvegicarum,"
ad Ann. mcclxxxii. cum Appendice Chro-
nolog. usque ad Ann. mcccvii. , p. 5.
71 He was born at
about the year 1035. Sec M. Le Dr. raade.
Opslo, nowChristiania,
75 He was of Harald-IIard- grandson
~
2
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 49 t
having obtained possession of the Orkneys and also of the Isle of Man. Landing in the latter, at St. Patrick's Isle, he surveyed a field of battle where the Manks had lately encountered, and where many dead bodies still lay unburied. The prospect of Man pleased him exceedingly, and there he resolvedtoreside. Heconstructedsomefortresses,also,whichsubsequently bore his name.
He effectually humbled the men of Galloway, so that he obliged them to cut down timber, and to carry it to the shore. He obliged them,
to fix this on his entrenchments. ? 6 his ambition and love for But,
likewise,
conquest brought him to Ireland, A. D. 1103, where in a predatory excursion he was slain by the Ulidians. 7?
To who flourished in the twelfth 8 has Archbishop Eysten, century,?
been attributed the completion of that magnificent cathedral of Dron- theim, commenced by King Olave Kyrre. The shrine of St. Olaf was then regarded as one of the richest treasures preserved in that city; and, doubtless, the zealous prelate took care, that it should occupy the most conspicuous place therein, for reverence of his flock. In due course, itwashonourablyplacedinthatgrandcathedralchurchofDrontheim. It was adorned with gold and jewels of immense value, the result of rich offer- ings. Great miracles are recorded, as having taken place at the tomb of St. 01aus,79 while numbers of devout pilgrims flocked thither, to experience the benefits of his intercession. The church of Drontheim, in after times, was regarded as one of the noblest in the North.
Owing to a traditional reverence, St. Olaf was acknowledged as the
8°
Its mediaeval kings were crowned, also, under his patronage. Before the Protestant Reformation invaded Norway, its noble cathedral of Drontheim was considered to be one ofthegloriesofChristendomforextent,style,andelaborateconstruction. A fire had damaged the foundations, near the altar; but, in the year 1530, that
81
damage had been repaired at considerable expense.
cent cathedral, it had an invaluable library attached, with a sacristy containing sacred books, chalices, vestments and other objects of great value. The fanatical Reformers proceeded, at the time when their sway extended over
the North, to despoil churches and monasteries, tearing down sacred images, pictures and shrines. To such lengths did they proceed, at Drontheim, that one Otto Stigius removed the books and manuscripts contained in the library, when, like a true Vandal, he took care to have them burned in the public
82
special patron of the kingdom of Norway, in ri64.
cemetery. Moreover, a large silver crucifix,
which required the strength
76 See the Rev. James Johnstone's "Anti- the Emperor Charles V. , Munster writes :
qnitates Celto-Normannicse," Chronicon "impensa —imputantur ad seplem millia
Mannioe, pp. io, 1 1.
? 7 See a more detailed account of him, at
the 16th of April, the Feast of St. Magnus,
Earl of the Orkney Islands, and Martyr, in Scotland, in the Fourth Volume of this work, Art. ii.
78 According to Undalin, he presided as Archbishop over Drontheim, from A. D. 1161 to A. D. 1 184.
79 Thus, Eynar Skuldesen, a scald of the twelfth century, has composed a Poem in honour of St. Olaf, in which he mentions his miracles and visions. This poem is inserted in the work of Snorro Sturleson, published at Copenhagen.
jBiographie Generate, tome xxxviii. , col. rum multitudinem prostravit. Inopinata 584. Art. Olaf II. , saint. autem potitus victoria, cum lcetitia ac multis V In his " Cosmographia," dedicated to spoliis reversus, crucem fecit argenteam
80 See M. Le Dr. Hoefer's " Nouvelle "
vir genere prseclarus et armis potens. " He had entered upon an alliance with the Norse
man King of Dublin, to engage on a pirati- cal expedition against the shores of Britain. They. obtained muchbooty, and in the matter of division, the regal robber refused his share to the other thief. Whereupon, Guttornin invoked the aid of St. Olave, and with a greatly inferior force, he attacked the King
of Dublin, obtaining a complete victory over him. Then we read: "Ope Christi et Gloriosi Martyris intervenlu totum barbaro-
Besides the magnifi-
aureorum. " Lib. iv.
82 This was. the gift of an Irish Scandina-
vian chief named Guttorninus orGuthorinus,
"
natione Noricus, scilicet beati Olavi nepos,
4<p LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29.
of three men to carry in procession, and which stood before St. Olafs shrine, was carried off, and destroyed. The rich silver loailus, within which his remains lay—then resting in a wooden coffin enclosed—and all the jewels,
8
gold and silver ornaments 3 attached, were taken away, so that the grand
cathedral of Drontheim was robbed of its priceless ornaments, and left a sad wreck. In the year 1541, the Lutherans thus plundered St. Olafs rich shrine, but they treated the sacred remains with respect, leaving the body in the same place where the shrine had stood, in the inner wooden case. However, when that ship, which sailed with the greatest part of those shrine treasures, reached the Denmark road, it perished at sea, and what remained of the booty was sequestered on land, so that nothing came into the king's possession.
Drontheim cathedral was burned by lightning; and, except the choir portion, muchofthenavewasthrowndownandgreatlydamaged. Thegrandcathe- dral lasted after Lutheranism had prevailed in Norway ; and, in it, a Lutheran
8
Bishop, with twenty-four Canons, officiated. * After the middle of the six-
teenth century, when war broke out between the Danes and Swedes, the latter
got possession of Drontheim, in 1564. Then the body and coffin of St. Olaf were buried in the ground. At this time, Norway and Denmark were under the government of the same monarch, Frederick II. His army succeeded in routingtheSwedes,andinrecoveringDrontheim. Then,itwasresolvedto remove St. Olafs remains from that grave in which they had been deposited. This translation took place with great public solemnities ; the ecclesiastics of every grade, the nobles, the military, and the people of that city, attended in great numbers. We are informed, that in 1568, the body of our saint was decently buried in Drontheim cathedral, where a cenotaph had been prepared foritsreception. Atthistime,too,wasseenthewell-preservedbodywhole, and in a dry condition ; the stature of the corpse being large and becoming a chief ; the beard was red ; the nose appeared to be contracted with dry- ness, and on it was noticed a wound, which seemed like a hard and dried-up portion of wood. At that date, nearly five hundred and forty years had elapsed, since his first interment ; yet, it was noticed, that St. Olafs body had not become the prey of worms, nor was it at all corrupt. This had been attested by a Lutheran, to the Lutheran minister Undalin, who relates all the foregoing circumstances, and doubtless, many Protestants as well as Catholics, who must have been then living there, were witnesses of this preternatural spectacle. Various great miracles are recorded, as having been wrought through the intercession of St. Olaf, when the people began to hold his
in and those continued 8*
memory
mirse magnituclinis, longe humani corporis molem excedentem, et posuit earn in eccle-
sia Beati Martyris ad corpus ejus, in divini
et victoriae, — triumphi inopinatce quam per
mcrita ejus obtinuerat, monumentum. " " Acta Brevia," auctore anonymo, ex Pas* sionali pergamento Ms. ccenobii Bodecensis,
during many succeeding ages.
the "Acta Sanctorum," tomus vii. , Julii
xxix. De S. Olavo, Rege et Martyre, Nidro-
sice in Norvegia. Acta Brevia, cap. ii. , pp.
as also in the
115, 116, Appendix, pp. 117
to 120.
86 See "A Memorial of British Piety,"
by Bishop Challenor, p. no.
veneration,
cap. ii. , sect. 14, 15.
83 According to Undalin
See Rev. Dr. Oliver's "Collections. " There, too, many of the old French Huguenot refugees were buried within its walls. See Isacke's "Memorials of the City of Exeter," published at first in 1677, and afterwards another edition appeared in
1 723.
89
Every trace of it has long since dis- appeared, but human remains beneath the soil yet attest the place of an ancient ceme- tery surrounding it. The writer was in-
— ministerwhowrot—etowardsthecloseofthe
sixteenth century one of those ornaments
had been the gift of Archbishop Eric Val-
kendorp, and it is said, "butyri viginti ton- narum emerat. "
8*
Descriptio Europse," tomus iii. , p. 687. 85 Many of these arc recorded, and taken
"
According to Davicius, in his work,
from various sources, by the Bollandists, in
• 8?
a 88 Lutheran
/
July 29. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 493
Wherever the Northmen extended their sway, they did not forget to build churches in honour of St. Olave, or as sometimes called, St. Tooley. In England,IrelandandScotlandsucherectionswereknown. Thus,nearthe city of London, on the Southwark side of the River Thames, a street called after him still exists, and it indicates the site of a former church. No less than four parishes in London were dedicated to God in his name, while many other churches in honoured him as the 86 A church was
England patron.
dedicated to St. Olave in Exeter, England, and its foundation dates back to
an early period of the middle ages. It is sometimes asserted, that a burying- ground was attached to St. Olave's church, because human bones are frequently discovered near it. The fact is, the cemetery of St. Nicholas
8
extended in its direction to Fore-street. ? After the Revocation of the Edict
of Nantes, a number of French Huguenots settled in Exeter, and the Pro- testant bishop gave them St. Olave's for use. There service was performed
88
for them in the French language, down to about 1758.
To the early Danish inhabitants of Dublin, who were chiefly of
Norwegian extraction, has been ascribed the erection of a church to St. Olave.
In Fishamble-street, and on the west side, in Dublin city, a church had been
8
built and dedicated to him. The church of St. Olave, thus erected, ? stood at the
foot of that old street, the lower portion of which, leading to Essex-quay, used to be called St. Tulloch's-lane. s° A strange mistake has been made by
1 who
stood on the Castle steps, where Sir James Ware's mansion was afterwards
Archdall^
states,
that St. Olave's was a Bristolian and that it Abbey,
erected. ^2 A
with the old historic records and the
very slight acquaintance
topographical arrangements of Dublin should have dispelled that notion. ^ The site is now occupied by the city Corporation yard, and excavations near it disclose the fact of a cemetery having been there. During the time Dublin had been occupied by the earlier English settlers, St. Olave's or St. Tulloch's church lapsed into decay. The church of St. John the Evangelist, on the upper part of Fishamble-street,? 4 was erected at first under the invocation of St. John the Baptist, before the English came over here. It was united to St. Tulloch's or St. Olave's, in 1530. 9s Soon after, this church fell into com- plete decay, and afterwards St. John's represented the older church of St. Olave, or St. Tulloch. Moreover, Stanihurst, who wrote after the middle of the six-
6
teenth century, states, that it was then prophaned. ?
Queen Elizabeth, among other property belonging to Jaques Wingfold, Master of the Ordnance in Ireland, the old church with the appurtenances called St. Tulloch's in Fishamble-street, Dublin, were to be seized for the Queen's use to discharge his debts to her. 97 After the union of the parish
formed—now many years ago—by an old and accomplished citizen of Dublin, Dr. Willis,
senior, that in his young days during the last century the people were accustomed to call the site St. Tulloch's.
50 See John T. Gilbert's " History of the
City of Dublin," vol. i. , chap, ii. ,' pp. 48
John the Evangelist's church stood in Bove- street.
^ " It is the third church which has been
incorporated with the priory of the Holy Trinity (Christ Church Cathedral) since the Conquest, and in our own day Arnold Ussher has rebuilt it from the foundation? , Our mansion was within its precincts, as is
"
to
50.
recorded in new —
91 " In his
73> 174*
King is quoted, p. 140.
92 This is controverted by Walter Harris,
93 This mistake is noticed, in the Bishop of Ossory's new edition of Archdall's book.
H In the time of Archbishop Alan, St.
l
Monasticon Hibernicum," pp.
F°r this statement, however, Alan's Repertorium Viride. "
in his "
of Dublin," chap, iv. , sect. hi. , p. 86.
s6 He adds : "In this church in old time the familie of the Fitzsimons was for tie more part buried. The paroch was meared from the Crane Castell to the fish shamble--, called the Cockhill, with Preston his innes. and the lane thereto adjoining, which seo^e is now united to St. John his paroch. "
History
and Antiquities of the City
During the reign of
my register. " Archbishop
LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. [July 29. with St. John's, the former disestablished church, churchyard, and two houses
3
It is said, or supposed, that the Danes originally built that old church, now to be seen in the parish of Tully, barony of Rathdown, and county of Dublin, having dedicated it to St. Olave, King of Norway. ? ? It has the appearance
of being ancient, being of small proportions, and having a rounded chancel- arch. It is now in a ruinous condition. Two remarkable Irish crosses are near it : one cross stands in the middle of the road, just outside the cemetery
100
494
built thereon, were granted by James I. to Sir Christopher Byshe. 9
wall, and it has been left on an elevated pedestal,
since the road had been
Ancient Cross and Ruined Church at Tully, or Tulach n-Easpog, County of Dublin.
levelled, while the other remains in an adjoining field, and it is of consider-
able Abeautiful height.
of church,101 Tullagh
from a
and of the old cemetery Celtic crosses, is to be found engraved in Grose's
"
view,
102
Antiquities of Ireland. "
In the Shetland Islands, as in other parts of Scotland, St.
