Cnut the Holy - King and Saint
In the crypt beneath Odense Cathedral, you can still come face to face with Cnut the Holy – the Danish king who was killed in Odense in 1086 and canonised only a few years later. His story links the royal power of the Viking Age with the Christian Middle Ages and left a lasting mark on the city that emerged here. Today, he is buried in the heart of Odense, only a few hundred metres from the place where he lost his life.
From Viking king to saint
Canute the Holy was King of Denmark from 1080 to 1086. He sought to strengthen both the monarchy and the Church, but his policies met with opposition from nobles and peasants.
On 10 July 1086, Canute and his followers sought refuge in St Alban’s Church in Odense during an uprising. Here, he was killed alongside his brother Benedict. A few years later, stories of miracles at his grave began to spread, and around the year 1100, Canute was canonised by the pope.
His death therefore came to mark more than the end of a king’s life. Canute was the last Danish king with roots in the royal power of the Viking Age, while his canonisation became part of the story of Christianity’s growing influence and the transition to the Middle Ages.
"In the low, quiet crypt beneath Odense Cathedral, St Canute’s Church, stand two solitary shrines. They contain the earthly remains of the last Viking king, Canute the Holy, and his brother Benedict.
When I stand looking at them, I cannot help thinking about the vast expanse of time that came before us – and the endless time and new stories still waiting in the future, long after we ourselves are dead and gone. We know of many skeletons from the Viking Age, but the crypt beneath the cathedral in Odense is the only place in the world where you can see the remains of a Viking king."
Karsten Kjer Michaelsen, archaeologist and museum curator
Visit Canute the Holy in the crypt
Canute the Holy is still here. In the crypt beneath Odense Cathedral, his earthly remains are kept alongside the shrines of both Canute and his brother Benedict.
You can also see tombs of several members of Danish royalty, including King Hans and Queen Christine. The crypt’s ancient masonry also reveals traces of the churches that stood on this site before the present cathedral was built.
A story that changed Odense
Canute’s canonisation made Odense an important pilgrimage destination in the Middle Ages. People travelled here to visit his grave, and the connection between monarchy, Church and city shaped the development of Odense for centuries.
Between Harald Bluetooth’s ring fortress at Nonnebakken and Canute the Holy’s grave in the cathedral, you will find an important part of Odense’s story: a story of the Viking Age and the Middle Ages, of power and faith – and of a city taking shape.
Follow the traces of Viking Odense
Canute the Holy is only one of the stories you can still experience in Odense today. Across the city, you will find traces of kings, churches, burial sites and ancient monuments that connect present-day Odense with the city as it was more than 1,000 years ago.
Explore the Viking route and discover more places where history still lies just beneath your feet.
Last updated by:VisitOdensejmjen@odense.dk
