Stave churches in Norway
Stave churches – Norway’s contribution to world architecture
Stave churches were built in wood and were found across the northern parts of the European continent, including in Scandinavia.
It is virtually only in the rugged landscape of Norway that these unique buildings have survived, from the Middle Ages and up to the present. The stave churches are therefore an especially valuable part of our architectural heritage, and have become our most important contribution to world architecture. Urnes stave church was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, as the only stave church, already in 1979. It thus not only represented itself, but also all of the other remaining Medieval stave churches. They are examples of the brilliant craftsmanship found in Norway with respect to structure, materials, decoration and interior.
However, even in Norway, we have seen a dramatic decrease in the number of stave churches. Before the Black Death reached Norway in 1349, there were around 1,000 stave churches across the country. As many as 2,000, if not more, were erected before the Reformation in 1537.
Only 28 have survived. They thus serve as important culture bearers and story tellers. They represent almost 1,000 years of Norwegian history, and still provide new knowledge about our shared past. Show respect and due consideration when you visit our stave churches. We want to pass them on in good condition to coming generations.
Contact us
Get in direct contact with the church
If you have questions or other inquiries, contact the individual stave church directly. Select the church from the drop-down menu in the form.
Full contact information can be found on the individual’s church page here at stavechurch.com.
Stavechurch.com and our partners
The idea for this website was initiated by Stavkyrkjeeigarforum (organisation of Norwegian stave church owners), in cooperation with The National Trust of Norway. Through stavechurch.com we aim to spread information on all 28 remaining medieval stave churches in Norway.
Each year approximately 500.000 people visit our stave churches and the numbers of visitors are growing. This increase of visitors is positive, but it also proves a challenge for the owners of the most visited stave churches. One of our goals is to spread the number of visitors more evenly.
The main goal of Stavkyrkjeeigarforum is to secure our stave churches for the future. The owners are:
- Fortidsminneforeningen The National Trust of Norway. Owns 8 stave churches. The National Trust of Norway is a private, voluntary organisation that has been preserving and protecting places of historic and cultural importance around the country since 1844.
- The Church of Norway. Owns 17 stave churches. The majority of these are in use as parish churches.
- The three publicly owned museums Norsk Folkemuseum (Oslo), Maihaugen (Lillehammer) and Sverresborg Folkemuseum (Trondheim) own 1 stave church each.
The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage, The Church of Norway and KA Arbeidsgiverorganisasjon for kirkelige virksomheter are respected partners for the stave church owners on matters such as management and economy.
Contact regarding Stavechurch.com
Ann-Kristin Sørvik
Leader of the board of Stave Church Owners Association
+47 951 81 111
stavkirkenikvernes@gmail.com
The new leader of Stavkyrkjeeigarforum, who is also manager of Kvernes stave church, is hoping that the stave churches, as one of Norways most important cultural treasures, will be better communicated to children and young people. She will also encourage the individual stave church to find «its niche» and develop more cooperation with other cultural institutions in their neighbourhoods, for common purpose and benefit.
Ole Christian Torkildsen
Secretary for the Stave Church Owners Association
Special Counsel / Architect for KA
+47 97190690
ole.christian.torkildsen@ka.no
Ole Christian works daily with KA, department of churchbuildings and graveyards. His background is that of an architect specialicing in the safeguarding of buildings.
Additionally he works as secretary for the Stave Church Owners Association.
Stavechurch.no emphasizes that all information on our web pages should be as accurate as possible. However, we assume no liability for errors, omissions or inaccuracies in the information available and do not cover any costs or losses incurred as a result.
Stave Churches
Discover our hidden pearls!
Today, only 28 medieval stave churches remain in Norway. All of them are well worth a visit.
Code of conduct when visiting the stave churches
The stave churches have survived for more than 800 years. It is our shared responsibility to preserve them for many generations to come.