Pilgrim passport and the Olav Letter

The tradition of pilgrim passports dates back to the Middle Ages. The passport was originally used to document that you were a true pilgrim when you came to a new place as a stranger. Today, pilgrims carry on the tradition as a way to document the trip. Each stamp becomes a unique memory, and the passport itself becomes the "memory book" from the walk. Many pilgrims hang it on the wall when they return home.

You can buy the pilgrim passport in advance, or along the way.

Pilgrims can recieve stamps at the pilgrim hostels, the regional pilgrimage centers, in some churches, some museums or other stops along the way. At accommodations that does not have a stamp, you can ask the host to give you a simple endorsement in the passport.
 

The Olav Letter is a confirmation that you have walked the last stage, minimum 100 kilometers, of any of the St. Olav Ways into Trondheim. You need to present your pilgrim passport in person with stamps as documentation, in order to recieve the Olav Letter. The only place the Olav Letter is issued is the Nidaros Pilgrim Center (Norwegian: Nidaros Pilegrimsgård), which is located close to the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim.

Recommended walks that qualify for the Olav Letter:

• Berkåk to Trondheim on Gudbrandsdalsleden,
• Stiklestad to Trondheim on St. Olavsleden 
  – choose between the the inner forrest trail and the outer fjord trail.
• Tynset to Trondheim on Østerdalsleden.

Alternatively, you can qualify for the Olav Letter by bike. This requires that you cycle the last last 200 kilometers to Trondheim. We recommend cycling from Åre, Sweden to Trondheim on St. Olavsleden.

Kystpilegrimsleia, our coastal route, is mostly travelled by boat, and the qualification rules there are a bit different: You have to collect stamps from at least 6 of the 26 official key places of Kystpilegrimsleia, as well as a recent stamp from Nidaros Cathedral, to be entitled to the Olav letter. The route is often travelled by public boat transfer combined with bus or car and hiking.

We encourage and hope that all pilgrims visit the pilgrim reception on arrival at Nidaros Cathedral. In the pilgrim reception at Nidaros pilgrim centre (located only 2 minutes from the cathedral), the Olav Letter is handed out, the pilgrim passport is finalized, the completed pilgrimage is registered in the statistics and you recieve the "Pilgrimage town of Trondheim's gold coin". It gives you free enterance in Nidaros Cathedral and other advantages in the pilgrimage town of Trondheim.

The pilgrim reception is primarily staffed by volunteer pilgrim hosts who are passionate about the St. Olav Ways. They take good care of all pilgrims who visit the pilgrim reception at Nidaros Pilgrimsgård. They always offer coffee, a piece of chocolate and a chat.

For groups of more than 6 people, it is desirable that they fill in the group registration form that is attached here, and send it by email to trondheim@pilegrimssenter.no, in advance of arrival. This way, the volunteers in the pilgrim reception can prepare any Olav Letters and statistical work so that the visit to the reception will be easier for both the group and the hosts.

There is also a very nice pilgrim diploma, for pilgrims who do not qualify for the Olav letter.

You find more information about the pilgrim reception centre here: Nidaros pilgrim centre, pilgrim reception