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King Olav Haraldson (lifespan 995–1030) wanted to christen Norway and he succeeded – after his death. He fell on the battle of Stiklestad in 1030 and his body was brought to the place where the cathedral now stands. The next year he was declared holy and his name in history has since been King Olav the Holy. In the beginning there was only a small wooden chapel above his grave, but during the years 1070–90 it was replaced by a stone church. Pilgrims from all over Europe came to his grave, an important reason for continuing building on the church. In 1153 Norway became a separate church province and the cathedral, then sometimes called "Cor Norvegiae" ("Heart of Norway"), became its center. During the centuries the cathedral has been destroyed by fire several times, but always rebuilt. The Lutheran Reformation in 1537 to some extent changed that. However, by 1869 the growing nationalism had spurred restoring the cathedral to its former glory, which took more than a century. See also the Nidaros Cathedral's website.
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