Hallvardskatedralen, also referred to as, among others, Hallvardskirken and Oslo Domkirke (Cathedral), is Oslo's earliest cathedral. It was built at the height of Gamlebyens marketplace Oslo torg (square) (crossing Bispegata - Oslo gate) at the beginning of the 1100s and was used as a church until about 1655. Besides being (bispesete) diocesan and the religious center of Østlandet (the East Country) for over 500 years, the cathedral was the coronation church, royal wedding church, royal burial chapel, and one of Scandinavia's best visited pilgrimage sites.



The cathedral was probably completed by the spring of 1130 when Sigurd I Magnusson (Sigurd Jorsalfare) died and was buried as the first king in the church. His son, King Magnus IV Sigurdsson den blinde (the blind) was buried beside his father in 1139. Håkon Håkonsson Unge (Young), king's son, died in 1257; he was the last royal to be buried in Hallvardskatedralen. After this, it was Mariakirken (the Church of Mary) who took over as a royal burial chapel. But bishops and other prominent people were still buried here.



Hallvardskatedralen was hit by fire three times: In 1137 - the church was soon restored. The next fire was in 1567, but the church was rebuilt. The last time was the big city fire in 1624, but Hallvardskatedralen was in relatively good condition after the fire. But most of old Oslo burned down, and King Christian IV ordered the city to be moved to the other side of Bjørvika - under the protection of the Akershus fortress and given the name Christiania. Hallvardskatedralen was repaired and maintained as the Cathedral of Eastern Norway Øst-Norge) until 1639. Then Hellig Trefoldigheds kirke (the Holy Trinity Church) at Christiania took over as the main church of the diocese.



The old cathedral at Oslo Square (torg) was now downgraded to the parish church for Aker parish. The magnificent church building in Old Town (Gamlebyen) was left with little honor and decay. The last known service in Hallvardskatedralen was held in 1654. The decay accelerated and in 1696 the old cathedral was demolished. Stone was used for construction work on the Akershus fortress and as a street foundation in Grønland. The last remains of the building were demolished around 1780.



Other buildings were later build in the area of Hallvardskatedralen. In the mid-1800s, work was started on constructing railways in this area, and the ruins were uncovered through construction work and archaeological investigations. In the 1860s and 70s, the last private buildings on the church site were demolished. Around 1880, Bispegata was extended east across the property. Excavations of Hallvardskatedralen were begun in 1865, and work continued in 1879. The archaeological excavations continued in the 1920s - and in 1921 the entire ruins of Hallvardskatedralen were visible. It was the main attraction when Minneparken (the Memorial Park) opened in 1932.



Minneparken was curtailed in connection with the expansion of Bispegata's eastern extension towards the end of the 1930s. The park was even more curtailed when the need to build wider roads in the 1960s came along. It was then decided to put the south section under the concrete lid. The Bispegata motorway with a 4-lane road was laid over the covered area. In the 2000s, the roadway in Bispegata was narrowed, and more of the ruin could thus be visible again.



Today, the memorial park (13.7 dekar) is 3.38 acres (US / UK) and borders St. Halvards plass (square) and Oslo gate in the west with Oslo Ladegård on the other side of the street, Bispegata in the south, St. Halvards gate in the southeast, Egedes gate in the east and Arups gate in the north. It is located one kilometer (0,622 mile US/UK) east of Oslo Central Station, on a slight east slope (svak østhelling).