What is a Norwegian Stavkirke?
What is a Norwegian Stavkirke?
A stave church (Norwegian: stavkirke) is a church built of timbers with a supporting structure of posts (pillars) standing on reclining sleepers or timbers and carrying poles. The structural joints in the wall form frames that are filled with standing planks or tiles. This list contains 28 preserved stave churches.
How old is the oldest church in Norway?
Nidaros Cathedral (11th century) is one of the largest and oldest in Norway.
- Early churches may have been built on sites of pre-Christian worship.
- Church building in Norway is characterized by the widespread use of wood constructions.
Did Vikings build stave churches?
Viking handcraft The work culminated in the stave churches. There are several types of stave churches, but what they all have in common are corner-posts (“staves”) and a framework of timber with wall planks standing on sills. These walls are known as stave walls, hence the name stave church.
Where is the borgund Stave Church?
Norway
Borgund Stave Church (Norwegian: Borgund stavkyrkje) is a former parish church of the Church of Norway in Lærdal Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The old stave church is located in the village of Borgund.
How many stavkirke are in Norway?
28
In the Middle Ages, there were probably more than 1,000 stave churches in Norway. Today, only 28 remain, including Urnes stave church, which is included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
Are stave churches Catholic?
A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the building’s structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts are called stafr in Old Norse (stav in modern Norwegian).
How tall is borgund Stave Church?
Stave churches are typically some 8m (26ft) tall made entirely from wood without a single nail. They are the most elaborate type of wooden construction found in northern Europe.
What did Vikings nail to church doors?
An outraged mob then turned on the Dane and flayed him, skinning him and nailing the skin to the church door as a warning to anyone with the temerity to consider such a wicked act ever again.
What kind of architecture is the stave church in borgund?
The architecture of the stave church Borgund is built on a basilica plan, with reduced side aisles, and an added chancel and apse. The medieval belfry close by is the only one of its kind left in Norway. The eye-catching exterior architecture is known throughout the world.
How big is the borgund Stave Church?
7.35 metres long
The interior measurements of the church are as follows: the nave is 7.35 metres long and 6.10 metres wide. The square chancel measures 3.4 metres on all sides, and the apse 1.88 metres deep and 2.98 metres wide. The nave has a height of some 11 metres from the floor up to the roof ridge.
How tall is borgund stave church?
