Sunniva was a 10th-century Christian woman born in Ireland who eventually settled in Selje, Norway. According to hagiographical tradition, she was an Irish royal heir who fled her homeland to escape a pagan king. She traveled to the Norwegian coast with her brother Alban and several followers, establishing a community on the islands of Selja and Kinn. She is recognized as the patron saint of the Diocese of Bjørgvin and all of Western Norway.