Olaf II of Norway

Saint Olaf II of Norway was born around 995, likely in Ringerike, Norway, the son of Harald Grenske and Åsta Gudbrandsdatter. As a young man he lived the hard life of a Viking warrior, sailing through the Baltic and to England, where later tradition remembers his courage in battle. Yet God was drawing him to a greater kingship: while abroad he encountered the Christian faith more deeply and was baptized at Rouen in Normandy. Returning to Norway in 1015, Olaf claimed the throne and worked to unite the land under one king. His reign from 1015 to 1028 became closely linked with the strengthening of Christianity among the Norse people, and after his death his witness helped hasten the wider conversion of Scandinavia. Olaf fell in battle at Stiklestad on 29 July 1030. One year later Bishop Grimketel proclaimed him a saint at Nidaros (Trondheim), where his relics were enshrined and devotion spread. Honored as Norway’s “eternal king,” he is venerated as patron of Norway. His feast day is July 29.