When Skinnarland met St. Peter
In 1972 the local sculptor Knut Skinnarland was commissioned to do a job in Trondheim. The 12 apostles by Hans Michelsen were looking rather sorry for themselves. St. Peter was in the worst state, having lost his keys and all of the five fingers on his left hand. His toes also needed some care and attention. All of the apostles were a bit unsteady on their iron frames, and were in need of a bit of support. They were also all polished up and given a fresh coat of paint. Actually there are only 11 apostles. Judas Iscariot wasn’t allowed to mix with the others when the sculptor created them 130-140 years ago. They were very strict about that kind of thing in those days. To make up the numbers, Paul the Evangelist replaced Judas. Be that as it may, they were given the support they needed, and perhaps most important of all, St. Peter got a new set of keys. Hopefully he will look after the new ones better than the old ones.
Unfortunately, the eastern storeroom of the Archbishop’s Palace burnt down in August 1983, and all of the original works from the cathedral were lost.
Taken from Øystein Kostveit (1995), Bilethoggar Knut Skinnarland. Oslo: Landbruksforlaget.