Archbishop of Nidaros

Former Archdiocese of Nidaros Archidioecesis Nidrosiensis Nidaros Erkebispedømme
Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim, Norway
Location
Country	Norway
Ecclesiastical province	Nidaros
Metropolitan	Nidaros, Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Latin Rite
Established	1152 - 1537 (Diocese 1030–1152, Evangelical Lutheran diocese 1537- )
Cathedral	Nidaros Cathedral

The Archdiocese of Nidaros (or Niðaróss) was the metropolitan see covering Norway in the later Middle Ages. The see was the Nidaros Cathedral, in the city of Nidaros (now Trondheim). The archdiocese existed from the middle of the twelfth century until the Protestant Reformation.

In Norway, the kings who introduced Christianity which first became known to the people during their martial expeditions. The work of Christianization begun by Haakon the Good (d. 961 in the Battle of Fitjar) was carried on by Olaf Tryggvason (d. 1000 in the Battle of Svolder) and Olaf Haraldsson (St. Olaf, d. 1030 in the Battle of Stiklestad). Both were converted Vikings, the former having been baptized at Andover, England, by Aelfeah, Bishop of Winchester, and the latter at Rouen by Archbishop Robert.

In 997, Olaf Tryggvason founded at the mouth of the river Nidelva the city of Nidaros (now Trondheim) where he built a royal palace and a church; he laboured to spread Christianity in Norway, the Orkney and Shetland Islands, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland. King Olaf Haraldsson created an episcopal see at Nidaros, installing the monk Grimkill as bishop. Moreover, many English and German bishops and priests came to Norway. The Norwegian bishops were at first dependent on the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, and afterwards on the Archbishop of Lund, Primate of Scandinavia. As the Norwegians wanted an archbishop of their own, Pope Eugene III, resolving to create a metropolitan see at Nidaros, sent thither as legate (1151) Cardinal Nicholas of Albano (Nicholas Breakspeare), afterwards Adrian IV. The legate installed Jon Birgerson, previously Bishop of Stavanger, as Archbishop of Nidaros. The bishops of Bergen (bishop about 1068), Faroe Diocese (1047), Garðar, Greenland (1126), Hamar (1151), Hólar, Iceland (1105), Orkney (1070; suffragan till 1472), Oslo (1073), Skálholt, Iceland (1056), and Stavanger (1130) became suffragans.