{Read} {PDF EPUB} ~download Stave Churches in Norway by Dan Lindholm Stave Churches in Norway by Dan Lindholm. Stave churches are an important part of Norway’s architectural heritage. Urnes Stave Church in the Sognefjord is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building. The name is derived from the buildings’ structure of post and lintel construction which is a type of timber framing, where the load-bearing posts are called stafr in Old Norse and stav in Norwegian. Two related church building types are also named for their structural elements, the post church and palisade church, but are often also called stave churches. Lom Stave Church is one of the biggest and most beautiful stave churches in Norway. It dates back to the 12th century and is still in use. The church is closed during church services. The church in Vågå is also worth a visit. In and around the Jotunheimen national park you can find a lot of interesting stave churches: 1225 – 1250 Hedalen in Valdres 1235 – 1265 Øystre Slidre in Valdres 1235 – 1265 Vestre Slidre in Valdres 1225 – 1250 Vang in Valdres 1250 – 1300 Vang in Valdres 1290 – 1320 Reinli in Valdres 1225 – 1250 Lærdal beside the Sognefjord 1150 – 1175 Luster beside the Sognefjord 1180 Sogndal beside the Sognefjord 1190 – 1225 Vik beside the Sognefjord 1210 – 1240 Lom 1100 – 1630 Vågå. Visit Stave Churches. Borgund Stave Church. Built around 1180 and is dedicated to the Apostle Andrew. The church is exceptionally well preserved and is one of the most distinctive stave churches in Norway. Some of the finest features are the lavishly carved portals and the roof carvings of dragons’s heads. The stavchurches are Norway’s most important contribution to world architecture and Norway’s oldest preserved timber buildings. “UNIQUE VIKING FINDS” – new permanent exhibition opening 15th of May. Presenting Viking Finds. VISITORS CENTRE – The Center offers exhibitions about the history of stave churches in Norway and their role in the Middle Ages. Restaurant, souvenir shop and quiet rom. The King’s Road across Filefjell. Borgund Stavechurch is situated at The King’s Road across Filefjell. Combine a walk on Vindhellavegen with Sverrestigen for a splendid rounddtrip !(1.5 hour . It is easy to reach Borgund stavechurch and The King’s Road across Filefjell by public transport (bus) from Lærdal. You can also rent a bike in Lærdal and bike to the church (25 km). Source: Visit Sognefjord AS. Hedalen Stave Church. The Hedalen Stave Church may be the oldest of its kind in Valdres today. It comprises an unusual amount of catholic items and among these a reliquary. Only a few of these can still be found in Norway. The church dates back to around 1163, and coins from King Sverre`s era 1177-1202 have been found under the floor. It is in use as a regular parish church. The west-facing portal features dragon and vine decorations from the late 1100s. These dragons symbolise the evil forces you leave behind before you enter the place of worship. The reliquary is the most treasured item in the church. It is made out of copper-gilded wood, and dates back to around 1250. The figures featured are Christ, St. Mary, St John, St. Jacob, St. Thomas, St. Olav and St. Peter. Norway has only a few such reliquaries left. Its original reliquary casket is still intact, and is the only one of its kind. The Hedal Madonna (sculpture of St. Mary, dating back to the mid-1200s, is one of the most stunning pieces of medieval ecclesiastical art in Norway. Source: Valdres Destinasjon. Hegge Stave Church. Hegge Stave Church was built in 1216 and still serves the local parish. A carved gate dating from the Medieval Period gives access to the church and inside original staves with carved face masks decorate the church. On one of the staves you can find a runic inscription. The runic alphabet was the written form of old Norse, the language used by the Vikings. The baptismal fountain is from the 1100s and made of soapstone, a type of metamorphic rock that was heavily used in Norway from the Stone Age and onwards. The altarpiece is from 1782 and was donated by four men from Hegge, as a way of thanking God for having saved them from a storm. While in Gudbrandsdalen to trade livestock, they had been caught in a storm in the mountains. They prayed to God to protect them and promised to repay God by donating the value of a cow to the local Parish if they were to return home alive. They were men of their word and paid for the altarpiece in Gudbrandsdalen and transported it home on a sledge. Hopperstad Stave Church. Hopperstad Stave Church was built around 1130, and significantly renovated in 1877. It is considered one of the oldest stave churches still in existence. This church as endured periods of decay and went through rigorous renaissance in the 1880’s by the architect Peter Blix, brought about by cultural conservationists. The restoration was heavily inspired by similar churches such as Borgund. It is today owned by National Trust of Norway (Fortidsminneforeningen). Hopperstad Stave Church is the only church where the original narrow chancel opening is preserved. In the Middle Ages, openings with small arches were added on either side of the narrow chancel arch. Høre Stave Church. Upon the revelation of a unique runic inscription in the pulpit, describing the tale of how and why the church was built, it has been established that the church was constructed around 1179. The information in the runic inscription matches the legend of the battle of Kaøvskinnet in 1179. The story has it that King Sverre Sigurdsson came through Valdres in 1177 escaping King Magnus Erlingsson. Elling, the Kvie Lendmann (feudatory), had joined King Sverre in his fight against King Magnus and his father the Earl Erling Skakke. When Erling fell in the battle at Kalvskinnet in Nidaros (Trondheim), Elling and his brother Audun decided to build Høre Stave Church as the runic inscriptions show: "In the summer of which the brothers Elling and Audun cut (timber) to this church, Erling (fell) in Nidaros". There is reason to believe that there resided another smaller church at the site before the raising of the current one, indicated by the discovery of an old coin dating back to from around 1100. An extension was built in 1822, and today it serves the community as a regular parish church. Høre Stave Church is decorated with dragon and lion carvings from the Medieval Period, featuring two portals. The original ridge turret has been placed by the entrance of the graveyard. On the neighboring farm lived Gyda from Kvie, daughter of the petty King Eirik of Hordaland. Legend has it that she was indeed the one who encouraged Harald Hårfagre to unite Norway towards the end of the 800s. Brought up at Kvie, a manor farm in Valdres, she declined his initial marriage proposal and made him promise not to cut his hair or shave until he had united the country. When he had done what she asked, Gyda accepted his hand in marriage. Kaupanger Stave Church. Kaupanger Stave Church was the third church built on this site, and dates back to 1140. It stands out from other stave churches in Norway due to its small size and small number of posts or “staves”; it has 22 posts, is 102 square meters and can seat 165 people. It also has significantly fewer carvings and decorations on the walls. This results in a larger sense of height when one enters the church, which is why it is considered a cathedral among stave churches. The first stave church on this site was constructed between 1000 and 1050, which was right after Christianity was starting to gain ground in Norway. Christianity was brought to western Norway in the 9th century by missionaries from the British Isles, and to eastern Norway by German and Friesland ones. They were either monks, converted Vikings or bishops. Norwegian kings, especially King Olav Haraldsson, played and important role in converting the Norwegian people. His methods of conversion (harsh and violent), and his death followed by a series of supernatural events that eventually led to him being declared a saint, were some of the pivotal moments in the Christianisation process of the Norway. Towards the end of the 12th century the Christian church had a firm and stable foothold in Norway. The church is in continuous use as a parish church. The stave church and Kaupanger Manor is closely related. Archeological excavations revealed that the farm can be traced back to at least 1800 BC. What the farm looked like in the beginning is unknown. From the Iron Age, archeological traces indicate that the farm was among the bigger farms in the area. Lom Stave Church. Lom stave church is one of the biggest and most beautiful stave churches in Norway. It dates back to the 12th century and is still in use. The churches’ wooden doors and finials are beautifully carved. The decorations feature an intriguing combination of Christian motifs and what is often assumed to be pre-Christian Viking themes with animals and dragons. Lomen Stave Church. Lomen Stave Church is believed to date back to around 1192. The oldest coin found is from King Sverre`s era 1177-1202. In 1750, the church was converted and extended as it had become too small to meet the needs of an increasing population. When the new Lomen Church was completed in 1914, regular use of the stave church ended.