Urnes Stave Church

Ornes, Norway

The stave churches constitute one of the most elaborate types of wood construction which are typical of northern Europe from the Neolithic period to the Middle Ages. Christianity was introduced into Norway during the reign of St Olav (1016-30). The churches were built on the classic basilical plan, but entirely of wood. The roof frames were lined with boards and the roof itself covered with shingles in accordance with construction techniques which were widespread in Scandinavian countries.

Among the roughly 1,300 medieval stave churches indexed, about 30 remain in Norway. Some of them are very large, such as Borgund, Hopperstad or Heddal churches, whereas others, such as Torpo or Underdal, are tiny. Urnes Church was selected to represent this outstanding series of wood buildings for a number of reasons, which make it an exceptional monument:Its antiquity: This church, which was rebuilt towards the mid-12th century, includes some elements originating from a stave church built about one century earlier whose location was revealed by the 1956-57 excavations.

The exemplary nature of its structure: This is characterized by the use of cylindrical columns with cubic capitals and semicircular arches, all of which use wood, the indigenous building material, to express the language of stone Romanesque architecture.

The outstanding quality of its sculpted monumental decor: On the outside, this includes strapwork panels and elements of Viking tradition taken from the preceding building (11th century). In the interior is an amazing series of 12th-century figurative capitals that constitute the origin of the Urnes Style production.

The wealth of liturgical objects of the medieval period: This includes Christ, the Virgin and St John as elements of a rood beam, a pulpit of sculpted wood, enamelled bronze candlesticks, the corona of light, etc.

Excellent conservation of a perfectly homogeneous ensemble: The embellishment of the 17th century (1601 and c. 1700) and the restorations of 1906-10 preserved its authenticity completely.

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Address

Fylkesveg 331 390, Ornes, Norway
See all sites in Ornes

Details

Founded: c. 1130
Category: Religious sites in Norway

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Gilles de Hollander (3 months ago)
So beautiful. So special. Guided tour was very informative.
Volodymyr K (4 months ago)
Worth visiting. I would recommend to park your car before the ferry and take it on foot to save some money if you're not going to the waterfall on the same island next. You'll be able to get inside the church / on the close territory only with guide. Guide was a very helpful woman who answered all our questions and told a lot about history and details. A little pricey but not regretting at all
Luba Todorova makeup (4 months ago)
We haven’t seen anything like it, exceptional path like time travel and the surrounding beauty of nature seem unparalleled, we couldn’t get enough of it
Nessa (6 months ago)
Stunning stave church and Ornes is a stunning little place as well! We accessed it via ferry and had a great boat ride. The church itself has a beautiful location within a small fjord and we decided to walk up to it. If you need some refreshments, there’s also a cafe opposite as well as a little museum.
Tanja Swinkels (13 months ago)
We were really surprised and loved our visit here. It’s a bit difficult and expensive to get there (110kr pp + 160 kr for the ferry - this is a van and 2 ppl), but definitely worth it if you have the time. Hearing the stories from the guide and being able to ask questions was the highlight of our visit, eventhough we normally never like guided tours. The church and its history is really interesting and it’s really nice that everything is told by a local.
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