Joint meeting for the ACSOW-board and the Scientific Committee at Granavollen, Norway

On the 15th and 16th of May, both the ACSOW board and scientific committee met for joint meetings at Granavollen, Norway.

Located in the Hadeland region, Granavollen has served as a cultural and historical meeting place for more than 2,000 years. It is home to the two medieval churches known as theSøsterkirkene/sister churches“, and today the Pilegrimsleden (part of the Cultural Route of St. Olav Ways) between Oslo and Trondheim passes right through the area. The Pilgrim centre Granavollen, one of the twelve regional pilgrimage centers along the Pilegrimsleden in Norway, is also situated here. 

During the two-day meeting, the board and scientific committee engaged in discussions, shared experiences, and fostered connections. They explored ways to collaborate in strengthening the Nordic cultural route of St. Olav Ways, focusing on the activities the board would like the committee to prioritize and how the board and administration can support these efforts.

The Granavollen area provided a rich historical backdrop for our gathering. We had the opportunity to visit the Søsterkirkene, The stone house, Tingelstad old church, as well as enjoy a scenic walk along the Pilegrimsleden. Sanner Hotel, which offers simpler accommodations for pilgrims during the summer season, provided us with excellent food and warm hospitality.

The marking stone at Granavollen, 533 km to Nidaros from here (medieval name of Trondheim)
Wonderful landscape to walk through
Jane Dahl Sogn, general manager at pilgrim centre Granavollen
The board, administration and scientific committee in front of the Tingelstad old church: Cathrine Stangebye Engebretsen, Guro Berge Vistad, Hans Morten Løvrød, Janke Rasmussen, Kjersti Utne, Kersti Markus, Mikkel von Seelen, Ingeborg Collin and Mats Nilsson. (Jenny Hall, Johan Norling, Miika Ahola og Minna Opas were not present).
The magnificent medieval sister churches “Maria” and “Nikolai”, shown to us by wonderful local guide Kari Røken Alm.