European Pilgrimages
tips for Norway, Ireland, and Athens
More trips, more tips! Thanks for sharing your plans with us!
We’re headed to Norway with our two young daughters and their grandparents. We’ll take the train from Oslo to Bergen, and spend 3-4 days exploring Norway’s west coast. What can we see in Bergen and Oslo?
Two of Norwegian’s most prominent saints are patrons of the cities on your itinerary—St Hallvard of Oslo and St Sunniva of Bergen. Although their relics were either destroyed or hidden, you can pray at the sites of cathedrals previously dedicated to each of them, as well as other historic churches in Bergen and Oslo.
St Hallvard Cathedral—Hallvardskatedralen—was the earliest cathedral in Oslo. It was a Romanesque basilica with a central tower, but is today in ruins. The site is located in Ruinparken (the Ruin Park) between Bispegata and St. Hallvards gate. The cathedral was built during the early 12th century and in use until about 1655. Besides being the bishop’s seat and religious center of eastern Norway for about 500 years, the cathedral was the coronation church, royal wedding church, chapel royal, and one of Scandinavia’s most visited places of pilgrimage.
For St Sunniva, visit Bergenhus Fortress, the site of city’s former cathedral, Christ Church, where her relics were kept. The cathedral was destroyed and the relics lost in 1531, in order to build a fortress in this strategic position, and thereby strengthen the defense of the city.
Look for stave churches along your route in order to experience Norway’s distinctive contribution to church architecture. There are apparently twenty-eight original stave churches remaining from over 1,000 built in the 12-14th centuries. In Oslo you’ll find the wonderful Gol Stave Church at the open air Skansen Museum. Fifteen minutes south of Bergen is the reconstructed Fantoft Stave Church. The buildings are regularly painted with a layer of tar to keep them waterproof and fire resistant.
Bergen top sites include the funicular, walking through the historic and colorfully painted waterfront buildings, and the Norwegian Fisheries Museum. For textile enthusiasts, the Textile Industry Museum and House of Oleana factory store are both scenically located right on the water, north and east of Bergen. Both offer factory tours, shopping for beautiful Norwegian knitwear, and cafes with gorgeous views for a coffee break.
While in Bergen, you can connect with Orthodox parish life at the Norwegian-language Annunciation Parish. Most if not all parishioners speak English and are happy to chat with visitors during fellowship.
In addition to the Skansen in Oslo, I recommend the Nobel Peace Prize Museum and walking through the Gustav Vigeland sculptures at Frogner Park. At the waterfront, all ages enjoy walking up and around the Oslo Opera House, to admire the sea views and interact with this architectural landmark.
Our adult children are joining us for our first-ever trip to Ireland. We would love to visit sites connected with the Orthodox saints there. What fits with our itinerary from Dublin to Galway?
Here are three spiritually rich stops along your path from Dublin to Galway:
First, give yourself a chance to get oriented after your arrival in Dublin, and visit the Book of Kells at Trinity College. This incredible exhibit introduces you to the ogham alphabet, the pigments and materials used in monastic scriptoriums, and the most famous texts from this period, before giving you the chance to view an actual spread in the Book of Kells itself. This exhibit pairs well with a viewing, before or after, of the extraordinary animated film, The Secret of Kells.
Second, on your way west, visit St Ciaran’s 6th century monastic founding, Clonmacnoise. Enjoy the informative video in the visitor center and the indoor museum preserving three original standing crosses. Then enjoy rambling around the site and take time to pray for the intercessions of St Ciaran. Only 8km away in Shannonbridge, visit the Monastery of the Lifegiving Spring, established in 2019. The sisters discovered this property as an answer to prayers offered to St Ciaran at Clonmacnoise.
Third, spend a day in The Burren, a surprising windswept landscape of limestone and inspiring vistas. It’s likely many Celtic monastics were drawn here over the centuries, and we can recommend St Colman’s cave and spring, a brief trek from one of the main roads in The Burren. After your hike and prayers at St Colman’s, warm up with a cup of tea and cake at the garden cafe at The Burren Perfumery.
We’re meeting family in Greece this summer. What would make sense for us to see based on a 2-3 night stay in Athens before we head to the Peloponnese?
The Acropolis Museum is a treasure and we highly recommend spending some time getting to know the ancient Parthenon from inside these air conditioned halls, before or after your visit to the site on the Acropolis above. It’s inspiring to know the Parthenon was a Christian church dedicated to the Mother of God for nearly 1,000 years and if you know where to look, you can spot the remnant of a fresco of the Panagia on the inside of the temple.
In the city center, visit the Metropolitan Cathedral to venerate the relics of St Philothei, patron saint of Athens, and St Gregory V, Patriarch of Constantinople. St Philothei’s family home, the Benizelos Museum, is also a free museum offering insight into the lives of a wealthy 16th century family, just two blocks from the cathedral square.
Next, connect with a 20th century saint at the Agios Ioannis Metro stop. Just inside the church of St John the Baptist you’ll find the relics of Papa Nicholas Planas (d 1932). Around the back of the current church, the apse of the original parish church is preserved, where he served for over fifty years. He famously commemorated so many names during his daily liturgies, that services beginning at 8a typically ended at 3p.
On your road trip, plan time for a visit to the Monastery of St Patapios near Loutraki before crossing over the Corinth canal to the Peloponnese. The views and beautiful chapel and cave with the relics of the saint are worth it. St Patapios’ journey from Egypt to Constantinople was unexpectedly interrupted when he was called to several years of ministry and asceticism in Corinth. He was a powerful wonderworker in his life, as well as in the centuries since his relics were miraculously transported to this area after the Fall of Constantinople in the 15th century, being rediscovered hidden here in the 1950s.
Whether you’re headed out on a journey or not, we invite you to receive spiritual inspiration from our short film, Amphilochios: Saint of Patmos, now available for rent or purchase worldwide on Vimeo.
Agree that County Clare's Burren National Park shouldn't be missed. One of the area's wildflowers found its way across the sea. This little orchid has appeared in our garden: https://wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-wildflowers-helleborine-epipactis-helleborine.html.