Nidaros Cathedral West Front
This part of the church is also the most recent of the original cathedral constructions; archbishop Sigurd Eindrideson laid the cornerstone for the west front in 1248.
[2] Gunnar Danbolt (1940–) citing a different source from 1500 in his book Nidarosdomen, fra Kristkirke til nasjonalmonument (Nidarosdomen, from Christian church to national monument) published in 1997, quoted: ......in the church gable there is a large rose formed of stone, which was gold gilded, and inset within the center was a large red stone, set such that as the sun shone there, one could not fasten eyes thereupon for the glory which there shone.There is such a "karfunkelsten" or carbuncle (an older term for any red-precious stones) in the center of the rose window today; it traditionally symbolizes Christ.
After Christies death, an architectural competition was held for design of the west front, and the shared first prize went to Olaf Nordhagen and Henrik Bull.
This conflict of views led to significant delays in the restoration, culminating in convening an international expert commission, which rejected Macody Lunds proposed approach in 1923.
He believed that the work on the west front was essentially an artistic exercise in the spirit and form of Gothic architecture and of the Church as a whole, than a reconstruction.
The two columns on each side of the rose window are placed according to this principle, the same is the position of the horizontal delineations between the second and third and between the third and fourth alcove openings.
The concept followed was to reconstruct the church in the Gothic style, and as a result the new stained glass windows should also have standard medieval themes.
The rose window was presented as a gift from the women of Norway for St. Olav's anniversary in 1930, it was completed the same year and is regarded as Kielland's masterpiece.
At the bottom of the middle axis lies a sculpted group of motifs from the crucifixion - the crucified Christ is based on a model by Wilhelm Rasmussen.
The middle row shows the Expulsion from Paradise and the Annunciation, on opposite sides of the rosette, as well as the Norwegian saints and their virtues.
Additionally, the western façade is replete with lesser sculptures, masks, angels, gargoyles, and a large collection of fauna: bears, donkeys, elephants, cocks and bees.
These include Gustav Vigeland (1869–1943), Wilhelm Rasmussen (1879–1965), Dyre Vaa (1903–1980), Stinius Fredriksen (1902–1977), Nic Schiøll (1901–1984), Arne Kvibergskaar, Odd Hilt (1915–1986), Knut Skinnarland (1909–1993), Tone Thiis Schjetne (1928–2010), Sivert Donali (1931-), Kristofer Leirdal (1915–2010), Arnold Haukeland (1920–1983), Anne Raknes (1914–2001), Helge Thiis and August Albertsen.
The sculpture was shaped by Knut Skinnarland and sculpted by Steffen Krogstad and shows Abraham lifting a knife against Isaac.
It is based on a model by Stinius Fredriksen, and carries a twig in each hand, a symbol of the prophecies of the Book of Isaiah, which marks the coming of the Messiah as a descendant of a branch of the family of King David.
In his hands he holds a scepter, and his foot is an image based on the Second Book of Kings 19:35, where Hezekiah, aided by God, defended his kingdom against the Assyrian's: And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
His statue, based on a model by Knut Skinnarland, show him wearing a camelhair cloak and holding to his chest Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God, symbolizing Jesus' shedding of his blood to take away the sins of the world (Cf.
The statue was created by Sivert Donali, and is modeled on the appearance of Gerhard Fischer, an archaeologist who performed research at the Nidaros Cathedral for several years.
His hands hold the ladder that appeared in his dream, which rose to heaven and upon which the angels ascended and descended, a common biblical theme in the Middle Ages.
The sculpture is based on a model by Nic Schiøll and was carved by Jakob Skaufel, representing the saint with the arrows and a mill wheel characteristic of his travail in his hands.
Saint SunnivaSaint Sunniva was an Irish princess who fled to Norway, where she was killed by the enemies of King Olaf I in the 10th century.
[1] On the left side of the rosette-shaped window sculptures are three women, representing three theological virtues: Faith, Hope, and Love or Charity.
Prophet IsaiahIsaiah foresaw the birth of Jesus: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall be with child; she will bear a son and his name shall be Immanuel."
Schiøll, showing Adam covering himself with a grape leaf, and at his feet is a representation of Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil as carved by Jakob Skaufel.
The statue of the truth is represented as a woman who raises her hand in oath, is based on a model by Odd Hilt as carved by Ola Moumen.
Born circa 1076, he was a man noted for his piety and his death by treacherous action of Haakon Paulsson in 1115 was considered a martyrdom.
The features of Bishop Sigurd are modeled by Dyre Vaa based on the Norwegian poet Aasmund Olavsson Vinje.
The heads in the bowl have the appearance of the architects instrumental in the reconstruction of the cathedral: Gudolf Blakstad, Herman Munthe-Kaas and Helge Thiis.
The sculpture, which represents John with a book in their hands, is a restored copy of a work dating from the medieval period (circa 1270 -1300) and is one of the few preserved from the original cathedral, and is considered the masterpiece of Gothic art in Norway.
The statue was a gift from the king Haakon VII and Queen Maud in commemoration of his coronation in 1906, and was based on a model by Wilhelm Rasmussen as sculpted by Tore Skjørestad.
He was martyred by beheading in Montmartre in 258 and according to the Golden Legend, after his head was chopped off, Denis picked it up and walked two miles, preaching a sermon the entire way.
