Selja Monastery

The island of Selja off the coast of Stad holds Norway's oldest pilgrimage site, built around the legend of St. Sunniva. According to tradition, Sunniva was an Irish princess who fled a heathen king and found refuge on the island, where she died in a cave. A shrine grew up around the cave, and by 1070 the island hosted both a bishop's seat and a cathedral dedicated to St. Michael. The Benedictine monastery was founded around 1100, making Selja a major spiritual center during the medieval period. Because nobody built over the ruins after the Reformation, the monastery walls, the cathedral foundations, and the cave shrine survive in remarkably good condition. A 15-minute boat ride from the village of Selje brings visitors to the island, where the ruins spread across the hillside with views over the open North Sea.