Stavekirk

Some of the most remarkable edifices surviving from medieval Norway are the stave churches scattered across the countryside. When the Christian faith was introduced to the country in the 10th and 11th centuries, these wooden churches were built to house Our Lord and hold the Mass. The twenty-nine stave churches in Norway today do not date from that early, but rather from the 12th century onward, when sills were introduced in which the staves (the poles supporting the roof) were embedded. This protected the base of the staves and walls from rotting in the earth.


Borgund Stave Church


Urnes Stave Church




Detail in woodwork


Roldal Stave Church


Eidsborg stave Church


Fantoft Stave Church


Altarpiece from Grip Stave Church