Sunniva of Norway

Holy Martyr Sunniva of Norway is honoured as an Irish princess who, according to tradition, met her end on the island of Selja, off the west coast of Norway, fleeing danger for the sake of her faith. Medieval legend preserves her memory more than secure historical facts.

The story says that Sunniva, a king's daughter in Ireland, put to sea with her companions so as to keep the Christian faith, and came to Selja. She took refuge in a cave, and the local people and the ruler of the region regarded her as a threat to their power. According to tradition, the cave collapsed over them and closed them in. Later, towards the end of the tenth century, her body was said to have been found uncorrupted and moved to Bergen, and the place became a pilgrimage site and an important Christian centre of western Norway. She is counted among the saints of the undivided Church.

Saint Sunniva is commemorated on 8 July (new style).