The royal estate in Bergen

The medieval royal estate on Holmen included all the elements that a princely palatium was expected to have according to European custom: a hall, a residential part, and a chapel. In King Håkon Håkonsson’s time, in the mid-13th century, the royal estate was transformed from a monumental structure made of wood into one of stone. The largest hall in the royal manor still stands, and now bears name after the king for whom it was built. Håkon’s Hall was completed in 1261 at the latest, when it was used for the celebration of King Magnus Håkonsson and Queen Ingeborg wedding and coronation. Around 1270, King Magnus built a fortified residential tower, now embedded in the Rosenkrantz Tower. During King Magnus’s reign the construction of a new royal chapel began, but this was not finished until the beginning of the 14th Century, long after king Magnus passed away. This was the third Church of the Apostles, dedicated to the Twelve Apostles. It must have appeared as a High Gothic architectural gem in Bergen until it was demolished in 1529.