Catholic Tourist

Historic Church · Norway

St. Thomas Church and the Valdres Pilgrim Way

Filefjell, Innlandet, Norway

Historic ChurchMedieval Church SiteMountain PilgrimageReconstructed ChurchRevived Pilgrim WaySt. Thomas BecketNordic Saints and Medieval Pilgrimage collectionRevived ecumenical pilgrimage terminating at a modern Church of Norway church on the medieval pilgrimage site

Why pilgrims come

A sacred place worth the journey.

The goal of a revived approximately 160-kilometer pilgrimage across Valdres to the traditional site of a medieval church associated with St. Thomas Becket; the original church was demolished in 1808 and the present church was consecrated in 1971.

TraditionShared Christian

The pilgrim’s guide

What makes this visit meaningful

Walk this as a revived route to a remembered sacred place. The destination is meaningful precisely because the medieval church was lost and pilgrimage was later renewed; the modern building must never be presented as the original stave church.

01

Modern church at the medieval goal

Mark the continuity of place while keeping the 1971 reconstruction explicit.

02

Valdres pilgrim way

Follow the renewed church-to-church route through the valleys and mountain pass.

03

St. Thomas memory

Explore how devotion to the Canterbury martyr reached the Norwegian mountains.

Feasts, anniversaries & celebrations

Annual Valdres pilgrimage to FilefjellThe organized route is approximately eight days and 160 kilometers; dates, capacity, lodging, and mountain conditions vary annually.
Feast of St. Thomas BecketConnected to this place through Traditional patron of the medieval mountain pilgrimage church and the revived Valdres route.