Photo: Dagfinn Rasmussen
Urnes Stave Church – Norway’s oldest and most highly decorated stave church. Three churches have preceded todays church at Ornes. A hundred years would pass between the first and the fourth, the one we can visit today dates to around 1130.
On the long northern wall, magnificent original decorated sections from the third church have been incorporated.
Inside the church there are visible signs of the adaptation the church has gone through during the centuries to conform to the changes in religious and practical needs.
Some of the major points of interest are:
- A group of figures from the 12th century, the oldest in the country, depicting the scene at Golgotha: Jesus suffering on the cross and Mary and John as grieving witnesses.
- The altar baldachin or ceremonial canopy – a ciborium altar dating back to 1699.
- The richly decorated staves that form the framework for the elevated central space. The capitals (cushion capitals) are modelled on contemporary stone churches.
In 1979 Urnes Stave Church was included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Opning hours
Season 2023: 2nd May – 30th September
Open all days: 10:30 to 17:45
Contact
41394821
urnes@stavechurch.com
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