Today Thursday 2 July is St Swithun’s Day in Norway.

Norway’s Stavanger Cathedral, built in 1125, is dedicated to St Swithun. Its first bishop, Reinald, came from Winchester and was responsible for the construction by English builders.

He arrived with one of the saint’s arms which was last seen in 1517. The other one was in Peterborough.

2 July marks the day of Swithun’s death in 863. In Norway it is known as Syftesok meaning Swithun’s wake.

St Swithun’s Day in Winchester and the English calendar is 15 July and marks the moving of his grave in 1093 which it is claimed triggered forty days of rain.