{"id":28425,"date":"2026-07-31T14:50:50","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T12:50:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.niku.no\/?p=28425"},"modified":"2026-07-31T14:56:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T12:56:17","slug":"from-sacred-site-to-community-new-discovery-reveals-a-broader-picture-of-life-on-selja","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.niku.no\/en\/2026\/07\/from-sacred-site-to-community-new-discovery-reveals-a-broader-picture-of-life-on-selja\/","title":{"rendered":"From Sacred Site to Community: New Discovery Reveals a Broader Picture of Life on Selja"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n
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\r\n\t\t\t\tNew Discovery on Selja<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\tThe wall is the second discovery made outside the known monastery ruins. Photo: Regin Meyer, NIKU.\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t

From Sacred Site to Community: New Discovery Reveals a Broader Picture of Life on Selja<\/h1>\r\n\t\t
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Archaeology<\/a> —<\/span> Buildings<\/a> —<\/span> Digital archaeology<\/a><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t
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For centuries, Selja has been known as Norway\u2019s oldest pilgrimage site dedicated to a saint and as an important religious centre during the Middle Ages. Now, investigations have uncovered the remains of yet another previously unknown structure outside the monastery complex. <\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t

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The discovery strengthens the emerging picture that far more activity took place on the island than the ruins alone have revealed, and it marks the third major find at the site in just a few years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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New Discovery on Selja Reveals an Unknown Life Beyond the Monastery Walls<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The Selja monastery and pilgrimage site<\/a> at Stad Municipality <\/a>has been studied and documented by researchers, heritage specialists, and archaeologists for nearly 200 years. Yet the island continues to surprise.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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In recent years, NIKU building archaeologist Regin Meyer<\/a>, working closely with specialists in digital archaeology, has uncovered several previously unknown buildings and structures connected to the medieval complex. Another discovery can now be added to that list.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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The casing wall<\/span>is two metres wide and can be traced for thirteen metres in the geophysical dataset. Photo: Regin Meyer, NIKU.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
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The newly identified structure is located outside the known monastery walls. It consists of a substantial stone wall foundation which, according to ground-penetrating radar data, extends from the harbour area and at least thirteen metres southward across the terrain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\u201cThe wall is two metres thick which indicates a very substantial construction,\u201d says Meyer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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So far, only parts of the wall have been investigated. The structure continues below ground, and researchers do not yet know its full extent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\t

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Selja Monastic and Pilgrimage Site<\/strong><\/p>\n