Archaeologists working on the Norwegian island of Selja have uncovered the remains of another substantial building outside its famous medieval monastery complex. The find is the third major archaeological discovery made at the site in just a few years.
The newly identified structure lies outside the known walls of Selja Monastery, one of Norway’s most important medieval religious sites. Archaeologists have uncovered part of a substantial stone wall foundation, while ground-penetrating radar indicates that it extends from the harbour area for at least 13 metres southwards across the landscape.
Only part of the structure has so far been investigated, and much of it remains buried. Archaeologists therefore do not yet know its complete size or what purpose it served. Samples collected from the site may eventually provide some answers. Meyer has recovered datable material and soil samples that researchers hope will establish when the structure was built and provide clues about the activities that took place there. “Hopefully, the analyses will help us understand both the date and function of the structure, and the role it may have played in the development of the site,” he says.
A major medieval religious centre
The Ruins of St. Sunniva Churchwith Stadlandet in the background. Regin Meyer made an exciting discovery in the church foundation. Photo: Regin Meyer, NIKU.
Located in Vestland County in western Norway, Selja became an important religious centre during the Christianisation of the country. It is associated with Norway’s oldest known cult of saints, centred first on the Selja Men and later particularly on St Sunniva.
According to medieval tradition, Sunniva was an Irish princess who fled across the sea with her followers and eventually reached Selja. They took refuge in a cave on the island and were killed when rocks collapsed over them. The story relates that miraculous signs later led to the discovery of their remains during the reign of Olav Tryggvason, who is said to have established a church on Selja in 996.
The island subsequently developed into an important pilgrimage destination. Around 1068, Selja became the seat of a bishopric covering western Norway. The episcopal seat remained formally on the island until 1170, when the shrine of St Sunniva was transferred to Bergen.
A Benedictine abbey was established on Selja around the end of the 11th century. The monastic complex was expanded during the following centuries, leaving substantial ruins that have long dominated archaeological interpretations of the island.
The newly discovered structure raises the possibility that activity at Selja extended significantly beyond these monumental buildings. Researchers do not yet know whether it was connected with the Benedictine monastery, the 11th-century bishopric or an earlier phase of the religious site.
Three discoveries in three years
The casing wallis two metres wide and can be traced for thirteen metres in the geophysical dataset. Photo: Regin Meyer, NIKU.
The latest find continues a remarkable series of discoveries at Selja. In 2024, investigations within the ruins of St Sunniva’s Church revealed evidence for an earlier stone church. Archaeologists identified architectural characteristics with parallels in the Anglo-Saxon building tradition, raising the possibility that it could be among the earliest stone churches constructed in Norway.
Another previously unknown building was discovered northwest of the monastery in 2025. Archaeologists uncovered masonry, two rooms and a flagstone floor belonging to a structure that had never previously been documented. Meyer suggested at the time that it might have served a production or craft-related function associated with the monastery.
The latest structure is separate from that building and represents the second recent discovery made outside the known monastery ruins. Together, the finds are providing evidence that significant archaeological remains survive in areas of Selja that have received comparatively little attention.
Looking beyond the monastery walls
Drone photo: Dag-Øyvind Engtrø Solem, NIKU.
Ground-penetrating radar has played an important role in revealing this hidden landscape. Surveys conducted on Selja in 2021 and 2022 provided evidence of possible archaeological structures beneath the surface, which researchers have subsequently investigated through targeted excavations.
NIKU researchers are combining these surveys with terrain modelling, remote sensing and detailed examination of the ruins and surrounding landscape. The results are allowing archaeologists to look beyond Selja’s churches and monastic buildings and investigate where people may have lived and worked around the religious centre.
“Selja is a good example of how even among Norway’s best-known medieval sites, important stories are still waiting to be discovered,” Meyer points out.
The discoveries increasingly suggest that medieval activity on Selja was spread over a considerably wider area than its surviving monumental ruins might indicate. Exactly where the newly discovered structure fits into that history will depend on further excavation and the results of the samples now being analysed.
“This shows that we still know only part of Selja’s story,” says Meyer. “The discoveries provide insight into activities that took place beyond the monumental buildings and raise new questions about the people who visited, lived, and worked here.”
Meyer hopes that further funding will allow archaeologists to excavate more of the newly discovered walls and eventually display them alongside the other remains at Selja.
Top Image: New Discovery on Selja: The wall is the second discovery made outside the known monastery ruins. Photo: Regin Meyer, NIKU
Archaeologists working on the Norwegian island of Selja have uncovered the remains of another substantial building outside its famous medieval monastery complex. The find is the third major archaeological discovery made at the site in just a few years.
The newly identified structure lies outside the known walls of Selja Monastery, one of Norway’s most important medieval religious sites. Archaeologists have uncovered part of a substantial stone wall foundation, while ground-penetrating radar indicates that it extends from the harbour area for at least 13 metres southwards across the landscape.
“The wall is two metres thick which indicates a very substantial construction,” says Regin Meyer, a building archaeologist with the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU).
Only part of the structure has so far been investigated, and much of it remains buried. Archaeologists therefore do not yet know its complete size or what purpose it served. Samples collected from the site may eventually provide some answers. Meyer has recovered datable material and soil samples that researchers hope will establish when the structure was built and provide clues about the activities that took place there. “Hopefully, the analyses will help us understand both the date and function of the structure, and the role it may have played in the development of the site,” he says.
A major medieval religious centre
Located in Vestland County in western Norway, Selja became an important religious centre during the Christianisation of the country. It is associated with Norway’s oldest known cult of saints, centred first on the Selja Men and later particularly on St Sunniva.
According to medieval tradition, Sunniva was an Irish princess who fled across the sea with her followers and eventually reached Selja. They took refuge in a cave on the island and were killed when rocks collapsed over them. The story relates that miraculous signs later led to the discovery of their remains during the reign of Olav Tryggvason, who is said to have established a church on Selja in 996.
The island subsequently developed into an important pilgrimage destination. Around 1068, Selja became the seat of a bishopric covering western Norway. The episcopal seat remained formally on the island until 1170, when the shrine of St Sunniva was transferred to Bergen.
A Benedictine abbey was established on Selja around the end of the 11th century. The monastic complex was expanded during the following centuries, leaving substantial ruins that have long dominated archaeological interpretations of the island.
The newly discovered structure raises the possibility that activity at Selja extended significantly beyond these monumental buildings. Researchers do not yet know whether it was connected with the Benedictine monastery, the 11th-century bishopric or an earlier phase of the religious site.
Three discoveries in three years
The latest find continues a remarkable series of discoveries at Selja. In 2024, investigations within the ruins of St Sunniva’s Church revealed evidence for an earlier stone church. Archaeologists identified architectural characteristics with parallels in the Anglo-Saxon building tradition, raising the possibility that it could be among the earliest stone churches constructed in Norway.
Another previously unknown building was discovered northwest of the monastery in 2025. Archaeologists uncovered masonry, two rooms and a flagstone floor belonging to a structure that had never previously been documented. Meyer suggested at the time that it might have served a production or craft-related function associated with the monastery.
The latest structure is separate from that building and represents the second recent discovery made outside the known monastery ruins. Together, the finds are providing evidence that significant archaeological remains survive in areas of Selja that have received comparatively little attention.
Looking beyond the monastery walls
Ground-penetrating radar has played an important role in revealing this hidden landscape. Surveys conducted on Selja in 2021 and 2022 provided evidence of possible archaeological structures beneath the surface, which researchers have subsequently investigated through targeted excavations.
NIKU researchers are combining these surveys with terrain modelling, remote sensing and detailed examination of the ruins and surrounding landscape. The results are allowing archaeologists to look beyond Selja’s churches and monastic buildings and investigate where people may have lived and worked around the religious centre.
“Selja is a good example of how even among Norway’s best-known medieval sites, important stories are still waiting to be discovered,” Meyer points out.
The discoveries increasingly suggest that medieval activity on Selja was spread over a considerably wider area than its surviving monumental ruins might indicate. Exactly where the newly discovered structure fits into that history will depend on further excavation and the results of the samples now being analysed.
“This shows that we still know only part of Selja’s story,” says Meyer. “The discoveries provide insight into activities that took place beyond the monumental buildings and raise new questions about the people who visited, lived, and worked here.”
Meyer hopes that further funding will allow archaeologists to excavate more of the newly discovered walls and eventually display them alongside the other remains at Selja.
Top Image: New Discovery on Selja: The wall is the second discovery made outside the known monastery ruins. Photo: Regin Meyer, NIKU
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