Selja monastery, Norway

Selja monastery is a monastery ruin on the island of Selja in Stad municipality on the western coast of Norway. In the Middle Ages, this was a monastery of the Benedictine order. The monastery was probably founded towards the end of the 11th century, in connection with Selja becoming a bishopric. The monastery buildings were located on an area below the cave where, according to legend, the remains of Saint Sunniva and the Saints of Selja were found. Selja, with its monastery and saint complex, was an important religious center and pilgrimage destination through most of the Middle Ages, until the monastery was closed around 1470.

The Sunniva legend tells that King Olav Tryggvason had a church built on the island after the discovery of holy bones in the year 996. An early wooden church probably existed, but no archaeological traces of it have been found. In the late 11th century, a stone church was built, probably in connection with the fact that, according to Icelandic sources, Bjarnhard was installed as the first bishop of Selja by King Olav Kyrre (Norwegian regent 1067–1093). The oldest church was a basilica with a three-part nave, influenced by English architecture and probably built with the help of English craftsmen. The Benedictine monastery may have been founded soon after, as support for the new bishop. The earliest monastery building was made of wood and was placed on the south side of the stone church. In addition to being a Christ church or trinity church, the stone church was dedicated to the English saint Alban. The choice of an English saint indicates that the first monks at Selja came from England, probably twelve monks together with an abbot.

Bishop Bjarnhard moved to Bergen towards the end of Olav Kyrre's reign, probably around 1090, and Bergen then became the seat of the West Norwegian diocese. On the basis of an Icelandic episcopal list from around 1360, it is argued that Selja was allowed to retain parts of its episcopal status until 1170. This year, the Sunnivaskrinet reliquary - the saint's coffin with Sunniva's remains - was moved from the saint's facility at Selja to Christ Church in Bergen. That the move marked the final transfer of the West Norwegian bishopric from Selja to Bergen is often mentioned in recent literature. It is nevertheless difficult to find support for this in sources from the 12th century. Rather, there is reason to believe that the relocation of the Sunniva Ark represented a strengthening of the bishopric of Bergen with a local saint, following the example of Trondheim and Oslo.

Selja also continued to be an important religious center after 1170 and throughout most of the Middle Ages was a holy city and a pilgrimage destination close to the important route north along the Westland coast throughout most of the Middle Ages.