During the Middle Ages , a novel type of wooden construction technique became pop all over northwestern Europe , peculiarly inwards Kingdom of Norway , where it was employed to build churches. They are called “stave churches”. The fundamental characteristic of their blueprint is that instead of driving the load-bearing wooden posts , called staves , in addition to planks of the construction straight into holes inwards the dry reason , which made them susceptible to rot , a foundation of boulders was set on which the wooden frame of the edifice was erected. The wooden planks in addition to corner posts hence balance on a raised platform which protect them from H2O decay. The method proved then effective that many churches built inwards the twelfth century are even then standing today.
It is estimated that betwixt 1 ,300 to every bit many every bit two ,000 stave churches were built inwards Kingdom of Norway during the twelfth in addition to 13th centuries , which many reckon every bit Norway's initiatory of all edifice boom. Some of the best-known stave churches are characterized past times a roof with multiple tiers of triangular frames that gradually diminish inwards size. Many every bit good convey portals embellished with fine woodcarving in addition to wall paintings that characteristic infidel in addition to Christian motifs. About thirty or then stave churches even then endure today. Here are some of the nearly famous ones.
The Borgund Stave Church. Photo credit: Steve Cottrell/Flickr
Borgund Stave Church
Borgund Stave Church , inwards the hamlet of Borgund inwards the municipality of Lærdal , is Norway’s best known stave church. It was built sometime betwixt 1180 in addition to 1250 AD. The church building is right away used every bit a museum.
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The interior of Borgund Stave Church. Photo credit: Andreina Schoeberlein/Flickr
Details of woodwork. Photo credit: Roman Königshofer/Flickr
Details of the roof. Photo credit: Steve Cottrell/Flickr
Photo credit: LH Wong/Flickr
Urnes Stave Church
Urnes Stave Church was built inwards 1130 or presently thereafter , in addition to is the oldest stave church building even then standing. It’s located at Ornes , along the Lustrafjorden inwards the municipality of Luster inwards Sogn og Fjordane county. It contains many detailed carvings incorporating elements of Viking tradition that reverberate features of a previous stave church building located on the same site. The church building every bit good contains numerous liturgical artifacts from the Middle Ages.
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Detail of Urnes Stave Church’s forest carvings. Photo credit: Bosc d'Anjou/Flickr
Heddal Stave Church
Heddal stave church building is Norway's largest stave church. It is located at Heddal inwards Notodden municipality. The church building was constructed at the get-go of the 13th century , but later the reformation , inwards the 16th century , the church building was inwards a real pathetic condition. It was restored during 1849–1851 , in addition to i time again inwards the 1950s.
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Hopperstad Stave Church
Hopperstad Stave Church is merely exterior the hamlet of Vikøyri inwards Vik Municipality , Sogn og Fjordane county. The stave church building is assumed to convey been built unopen to the twelvemonth 1130 , but could upwards to a century older , making it i of the oldest stave churches even then standing.
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Gol Stave Church
The church building is currently located inwards the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History at Bygdøy inwards Oslo , but originally it was at Gol inwards Hallingdal. When the metropolis decided to build a novel church building unopen to 1880 , past times demolishing the erstwhile stave church building , the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments bought it in addition to moved it to Oslo.
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Lom Stave Church
Lom Stave Church is situated inwards Lom municipality inwards the Gudbrandsdal district of Norway. The church building is a triple nave stave church building that uses gratis standing inner columns to back upwards a raised department inwards the ceiling of the top dog nave. This type of church building is alongside the oldest Stave Churches. It was built inwards the 2nd piece of occupation of twelfth century. It is i of merely a real few stave churches of which the master copy medieval crest with a dragon caput even then survives.
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