Pilgrim passport and the Olav Letter
On a pilgrimage trough Norway, it is tradition to use a pilgrim passport to document the journey and to verify that you are a true pilgrim.
A unique pilgrim tradition
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.
Pilgrims can recieve stamps at the pilgrim hostels, the regional pilgrimage centers and in some churches. At accommodation that does not have a stamp, you can ask the host to give you a simple endorsement in the passport.
The Olav Letter
The Olav Letter and the last hundred kilometres to Nidaros
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, or biked the last 200 kilometers. 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, which is located close to the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim.
Recommended walks that qualify for the Olav Letter are Berkåk to Trondheim on Gudbrandsdalsleden, Stiklestad to Trondheim on St. Olavsleden or Tynset to Trondheim on Østerdalsleden.
If you want to qualify for the Olav Letter by bicycle we recommend that you take the trip from Åre, Sweden to Trondheim on St. Olavsleden.
How to buy the pilgrim passport?
ONLINE:
GUDBRANDSDALSLEDEN:
Pilegrimssenter Oslo
Akersbakken 30
0172 Oslo
tel: +47 48052949
Domkirken i Oslo
Karl Johans g. 11
0154 Oslo
tel: + 47 23 31 46 00
Oslo Bispedømmekontor
St. Halvards plass 3
0192 Oslo
tel: + 47 23 30 11 60
Pilegrimssenter Hamar
Storhamargata 125
2305 Hamar
tel: +47 47 47 82 66
Pilegrimssenter Granavollen
Kommunehuset på Granavollen
2770 Jaren
tel: +47 40 60 01 77
Bønsnes kirke
Bønsnes
3530 Røyse
Lillehammer Vandrehjem Stasjonen
Jernbanetorget 2-4
2609 Lillehammer
+47 61260024
Gildesvollen herberge
Gråvåbakken 5
2630 Ringebu
+47 95940499
Ringebu Prestegård
2630 Ringebu
+47 61282700
Pilegrimssenter Dale-Gudbrands Gard
2647 Sør-Fron
tlf: +47 45 60 46 08
Nidaros Pilegrimsgård
Kjøpmannsgt. 1
7013 Trondheim
tel: + 47 73 52 50 00
Bygdestua på Hoffsvangen
Tømmerholsvegen 320
2850 Lena
+47 908 87 582
Gammelbua i Rennebu
Voll, 7393 Rennebu
+47 995 42 018
Pilegrimssenter Dovrefjell
2661 Hjerkinnhus
tlf: +47 911 43651
ØSTERDALSLEDEN:
Kirkekontoret i Trysil ved kirkevergen
Liavegen 25
2420 Trysil
tel: + 47 62 45 13 84
ROMBOLEDEN:
Hilde Kirkvoll
Kirkvollen, 7590 Tydal
tel: + 47 73 81 53 57
ST. OLAVSLEDEN:
Stiklestad Nasjonale Kultursenter
tel: + 47 74 04 42 00