Hallvard Vebjørnsson

Infobox Saint
name=Saint Hallvard
Hallvard Vebjørnsson
birth_date=c. 1020
death_date=1043
feast_day=May 15
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church


imagesize=150px
caption=Saint Hallvard is depicted in the seal of the city of Oslo, holding the millstone and arrows used to kill him, with the woman he defended at his feet
birth_place=Lier
death_place=
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canonized_date=
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attributes=
patronage=patron saint of Oslo
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suppressed_date=
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Hallvard Vebjørnsson (c. 1020-1043), commonly referred to as Saint Hallvard, is the patron saint of Oslo. He is considered a martyr because of his defence of an innocent woman.

According to tradition, St. Hallvard was the only son of Vebjørn of Husaby, a local nobleman in the district of Lier, which at the time was a part of the diocese of Oslo. His mother, Torny, was related to St. Olaf, the patron saint of Norway. Little is known of his life, and all traditional stories relate to his death.

While defending a woman, most likely a slave, who had been given sanctuary on his ship from three men accusing her of theft, Hallvard was killed, together with the woman, by arrows from the men. The woman was buried on the beach. Hallvard however, was bound with a millstone around his neck, and the men attempted to drown his body in the fjord of Drammen, but it did not sink.

Veneration

Hallvard has been revered as a martyr for his defence of an innocent person since medieval times, and a cathedral bearing his name was finished in Oslo in 1130, where his relics were stored. St. Hallvard's Cathedral was for large parts of its existence the main church of Oslo, but it fell into disrepair in the 17th century and is today a ruin. His feast day is May 15.

External links

* [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=658 A short article from catholic.org]
* [http://www.katolsk.no/biografi/hallvard.htm A longer article, in Norwegian, from the website of the Catholic Church in Norway]