St. Olof Church ruins

The Cathedral of St. Olaf in Sigtuna is a place with an incredible aura that transports us to distant times. The ruins of this temple, surrounded by the tranquility of a cemetery, exude history and mystery. Walking among the remains of the walls, you can feel the spirit of ancient centuries and admire the artistry of medieval builders. It is an ideal place for history lovers and anyone who wants to take a break from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Who doesn’t love a stone church ruin? Especially if you live in Norway where the Norwegians of the past only liked to build with wood, so the churches double as saunas?.. Maybe. Here in Sweden, they seemed to accept the use of stone as a better material for everything except the saunas.nnSt Olaf was of course “the fat one” from the Netflix series Vikings, and has churches all over Scandinavia dedicated to him, since he is credited with converting the barbarian hordes to Christianity.nnYou probably won’t bump into him here, although I did feel that this ruin lacked a good story of being haunted by a Viking ghost, so I might start a rumour….nAfter all, I did feel a chill pass through me as I wandered under one of the archways, and thought I saw the outline of a large, bearskin covered Viking “converting” a local milkmaid wench over in the shadows.

A beautifully preserved monument with an amazing atmosphere of ancient times.

If the 3 church ruins in Sigtuna & one site of former ruin this is the most impressive.nThere is a translation plaque for a runestone at the fence beside the road, but I couldn’t find the actual stone with runes.

The ruins of St. Olof's Church are located right in front of the Sigtuna beach.nAnd there is a parking lot next to the premises of the ruins. Passing through the cemetery and St. Mary's Church, we reached the back side of the ruins.nThis ancient ruin is spectacular and well worth visiting. Because of its excellent preservation, you can now independently explore the ruin.nThere are informative signs at the ruin that provide more information about the church.