Irreparable damage after possible vandalism of the Nidaros Cathedral

Prime Minister Erna Solberg Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim on Sunday morning.Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheimg. Photo: Ole Martin Wold / NTB scanpix

Irreparable damage after possible vandalism of the Nidaros Cathedral

Someone or something has broken the nose of one of the stone figures that adorn the northern entrance to the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim. The damage is irreparable.

 

– There has occurred irreversible damage to our cultural heritage, says Steinar Bjerkestrand, director of the Nidaros Cathedral’s restoration work to Adresseavisen.

It is still unclear what has happened to one of Norway’s most magnificent churches and how it happened. But the damage to the north entrance of the Nidaros Cathedral can not to be missed: A stone statue on the right side of the entrance has had parts of the nose cut off.

One theory is that the damage occurred when new asphalt was added to Munkegata near to the Nidaros Cathedral, and that a machine might have come near to the wall. But this theory is dismissed by department leader for cemeteries and burial grounds at the church authority in Trondheim, Trygve Jensen.

– We possess photographic material that documents the damage happened before we started the asphalting on October 2. Therefore, Nidaros restoration workers must look for other reasons to what has caused the damage, he says.

 

©  NTB Scanpix / Norway Today