gastvortrag øystein ekroll.indd - Nordeuropa-Institut - Hu

Mediävistische Vorlesungen
in Zusammenarbeit mit den Henrik-Steffens-Vorlesungen
NORDEUROPA-INSTITUT
Einladung zum Gastvortrag
Øystein Ekroll
NTNU Trondheim
The Cult of St Olav –
a saint with changing fortunes
St Olav was the first Scandinavian saint who is also known as a historical person whose biography and martyrdom can be confirmed from
several sources. He became the most popular Scandinavian saint in the
Early and High Middle Ages and in the 1160s became the patron saint
and eternal king of Norway. Together with St Knud of Denmark and St
Erik of Sweden St Olav formed a Nordic group of the Holy Three Kings.
After c.1300 St Olav’s appeal as a missionary and a warrior saint faded
and he was eclipsed by other, more ‘modern’ saints. One would expect
him and his cult to be reduced to a saint with limited, local appeal.
However, from the late fourteenth century the popularity and cult of
St Olav enjoyed a rejuvenation eclipsing his former popularity, and
this took place mainly in South Scandinavia and the region dominated by the Hanseatic merchants towns, especially around the Baltic Sea. We see this development in art, architecture, literature and
patronage. Why did this ‘dusty’ old saint experience this new life?
Mittwoch, 19. Juni 2013, 16 Uhr
Nordeuropa-Institut
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Universitätsgebäude am Hegelplatz
Dorotheenstraße 24, Berlin-Mitte
Haus 3, 2. Etage, Raum 3.231
Kontakt:
Nordeuropa-Institut
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin
Tel.: 030 2093–9738
E-Mail: [email protected]
http://www.ni.hu-berlin.de/