Summary of Contents. 
The octogon termination of the choir in the Cathedral of 
Trondhjem is the finest monument of Norwegian architecture which 
has been left us from the Middle Ages. The arrangement is also 
very original as none of the English cathedrals presents å similar 
form, though it recalls the renown Corona of Canterbury. Its form 
is seen in fig. 1, giving ground-plans of the church and of the 
octogon building — and in the elevation drawing fig. 2. 
The character of the octogon building has been subject to 
some discussion, and opinions are still divided, whether it has origin- 
ally been the place of the central altar with St. Olav's skrine upon 
it, or the later Lady Chapel which is mentioned in literary sources. 
The later opinion, at first pronounced by P. Å. MuncH and now 
maintained by H. M. ScHirmEr, must be wrong. 'The octogon 
building was, at least partly, erected by the archbishop Eystein in 
the years after his return from England in 1183, but at that time 
no Lady Chapel existed in England. Moreover the later Lady 
Chapels of the English cathedrals differ greatly from our octogon 
building, respect being had as well to its form as to its dimen- 
sions. Of special importance is the fact that in England the local 
Saint which was the patron of the church, was worshipped at the 
central place, East of the choir. OQur octogon building thus has 
the place which in Trondhjem naturally was due to the Saint 
King Olav. 
For in the Cathedral of Trondhjem the principal point was 
St. Olav's tomb, and the prototype of the octogon termination of 
the choir is to be found in the Oriental ,Martyrion", å church 
consecrated to the memory of å martyr. In these churches the 
centralised arrangement is always predominant, as is seen from many 
