Historic Gathering in the Cathedral of the Sea

On Ascension Day, for the first time ever, three bishops gathered on Grip.

Grip Stave Church is the only stave church located on an island far out in the open sea in the north. It was built for fishermen who live and die by the sea.

The stave church is a spiritual support for people in distress and danger, and also a physical protection. Clearly visible from the sea, it helps guide the way. It has protected the people of Grip through every storm for nearly 600 years. Still today, it serves the coastal community as part of the Church of Norway.

Grip Stave Church is the oldest surviving building on Grip. It has withstood weather, depopulation, and upheaval. Though small, it is representative of most stave churches and rises solemnly from the sea. Grip Stave Church may rightly be called the Cathedral of the Sea.

On Ascension Day, May 29, 2025, Olav Fykse Tveit, Preses of the Church of Norway (equivalent to the Archbishop of Nidaros before the Reformation), The Right Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, Bishop of Newcastle, and Ingeborg Midttømme, Bishop of Møre, met to hold a church service and sign a new friendship agreement between the dioceses.

The historic meeting and signing took place in the church itself. Never before have three bishops gathered in Grip Church!