Archaeologists are excavating the former choir of the medieval church at Nonneseter Monastery in Bergen, Norway, seeking evidence of burials and daily life at one of the city’s oldest religious sites. The investigation is taking place alongside plans to create a new public space around the Nonneseter light rail stop.
The work is being conducted by the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) as Bergen Municipality and Vestland County Council redevelop the surrounding area for public transport, pedestrians and cyclists. The project also aims to make the monastery’s surviving remains more visible and to mark the positions of the former church interior and monastery garden.
Nonneseter was probably established during the first half of the 12th century as a Benedictine convent. Most of its medieval buildings have disappeared beneath later development. Above ground, the principal surviving remains are the tower base at the western end of the former church and the Korkapellet, or choir chapel, to the east. NIKU says the redevelopment will provide the first clear view of the two structures in relation to each other in more than a century.
The current excavation lies within the church’s expanded choir and extends toward the surviving choir chapel. An excavation conducted by NIKU in 2006, during construction of Bergen’s first light rail route, uncovered church foundations and about 30 graves dating to the period when the monastery was active. Some burials were located beneath the former choir floor.
Because burial inside a medieval church was generally limited to relatively few people, archaeologists are particularly interested in whether more graves remain in this part of the site. The choir was considered an especially prestigious burial location because of its religious importance. Possible occupants could have included clergy, royalty and wealthy benefactors, but the current investigation has not established who may be buried there.
Earlier work has also recovered decorated floor tiles, including one with a fleur-de-lis design, along with coins, gaming pieces, writing styluses, needles, spindle whorls and thimbles. These finds offer evidence of activities such as textile production, writing, recreation and commerce, and researchers hope the new excavation will provide further information about the women of the Benedictine community and those who interacted with it.
Among the latest finds is a miniature iron toy believed to be considerably younger than the monastery. NIKU researchers say it likely dates to a later period when children lived or played around the former religious site, illustrating that the area continued to be used across successive generations.
