Stave churches are unique to Norway. It is considered the "most important example of wooden Medieval architecture in Europe." A stave church is made entirely of wood. Poles ("staver" in Norwegian) has given it its name. Most of the churches were built before 1350, but most did not survive since the supporting timber was placed directly into the ground and experienced rot and collapsed in time. <fjordnorway.com> The construction involved columns, planks and supports that were joined by dovetailing pegs and wedges with glue or nails. In the source, <ingebretsens.com> a thorough review of history and construction can be read. Stave churches have fine detail with a combination of Christian designs and pre‐Christian Viking themes with animals and dragons. It is believed that Norway had over one thousand churches. That number has dwindled to less than 25 today. The one we visited in Bergen, Norway can be viewed on acuri.net. The church in Rapid City is a replica of the Borgund stave church built in 1180 and was dedicated to the Apostle Andrew in Laerdal, Norway. It is still well preserved. From the <Chapel‐in the‐Hills> website, we learn the following about the history of this church: "It is the result of a dream of one man and the generous support of another...In the 1960's, the originator and preacher of the Lutheran Vespers radio hour, Dr. Harry R. Gregerson, was looking to expand the scope of his popular radio ministry. As his dream took shape, Dr. Gregerson realized there was the perfect location for his facility right in his own state of South Dakota in the Black Hills. The next question was, "What kind of a building shall the chapel be?" Since many of the original settlers of the Dakotas and surrounding states were Norwegian Lutherans, the idea was suggested that the chapel be built in the style of an original stave church (in Norwegian, "stavkirke"). The Norwegian Department of Antiquities graciously provided a set of blueprints of the Borgund church to be used in the construction of the Chapel in the Hills. All the general construction was done by a local construction company and other contractors. An authentic grass‐roofed "stabbur," or store house, was built in Norway, shipped to Rapid City, and reassembled on the grounds. The Chapel in the Hills was dedicated on July 6, 1969, and it served as the home of Luthern Vespers until 1975 when the radio program was moved to Minneapolis home of the American Lutheran Church at the time. At that time a non‐profit corporation took over the operation of the Chapel in the Hills and operates it to this day." On the premises besides the Chapel and the Stabbur is a museum that depicts life of an immigrant prospector from Hole, Ringerike, Norway. The log cabin was built in 1876 and moved to the Chapel site. It contains many Scandinavian antiques. Another part of the Chapel includes a Prayer Walk into the forest to enable one to pray and meditate. This photo program shares what we saw when we visited Chapel in the Hills. Entering the Stave Church The grass‐roofed "stabbur," or store house Sources: https://www.fjordnorway.com/things‐to‐do/culture‐and‐heritage/stave‐churches, https://www.ingebretsens.com/culture/history/the‐stavekirke‐ norwegian‐stave‐churches, https://www.visitnorway.com/typically‐norwegian/stave‐churches/, https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/borgund‐stave‐ church/10521/, and https://www.chapel‐in‐the‐hills.org/. acuri.net John R. Vincenti Chapel in the Hills: Stave Church in Rapid City SD .