Welcome to Birka Viking City on August 30–31 to learn more about Ansgar – the Apostle of the North. Ansgar was a French monk who came to the pagan city of Birka in the 9th century to preach Christianity. But in the Nordic lands, people worshiped Odin and Thor, and resistance and conflict arose.
You will have the chance to hear Ansgar himself tell the dramatic story of his journeys to Birka, stormy assemblies, and sudden, violent death in a city far out in the wilderness. In addition, you can enjoy the following:
Daily Program
12:15 Arrival at Birka
12:30 Dramatized tour featuring Ansgar (in Swedish)
12:30 Guided tour (in English)
13:30 Lecture: The mission in Sweden during the 9th century. Much more than Ansgar – Daniel Sävborg (in English)
13:30 Guided tour (in Swedish)
14:30 Lecture: The mission in Sweden during the 9th century. Much more than Ansgar – Daniel Sävborg (in Swedish)
14:45 Presentation of Ansgar at the museum (in English)
15:30 Departure from Birka
Enjoy a fantastic boat trip to Birka on the picturesque Lake Mälaren – pre-book your boat ticket for a guaranteed spot on board.
Many people know that the history of Christianity in Sweden begins in the 9th century. Quite a few may also remember from school that Ansgar was the one who led the mission among the Swedes. He is known as “the Apostle of Sweden,” and a highlight of every visit to Björkö is seeing the impressive Ansgar Monument. But beyond this, most people know very little about the first phase of Sweden’s Christianization.
In his lecture, Daniel Sävborg provides a more detailed and nuanced account of the 9th-century mission in Sweden, with its center in Birka. Contemporary documents—biographies of the missionaries and letters to the congregation leader in Birka—contain much more information than what is commonly known. These sources reveal that many more individuals than Ansgar were active in the mission in Birka, and that Ansgar was not even one of the most prominent.
The main figure in the Swedish mission, and the one who spent by far the longest continuous time in Birka, was a man named Gautbert. He also held the title “Bishop of the Swedes”—the first, and for almost two hundred years, the only Swedish bishop. In his lecture, Daniel Sävborg argues that it is Gautbert who rightly deserves the title “Apostle of Sweden.”
