Stave Church History and Architecture

At the dawn of Christianity, a unique type of church called "Stavkirka" (from the Norse word "stav" meaning "pillar") emerged in Norway. In the 9th century, Christianity began to spread in pagan Norway. It arrived in Western Norway from the British Isles and in Eastern Norway from Germany. Christian missionaries brought European architecture with them. Wood was and still is the main building material in Norway, and the first temples of the new religion were built from it.

In its simplest form, the structure consisted of two rows of wooden posts (stakes), which were connected by cross beams. Initially, the posts were buried directly in the ground, causing them to rot quickly at the base. Later, the posts were installed on a stone foundation. The posts were connected by cross beams, and the roof with its large overhangs rested on them. At a certain distance from the posts, four beams were laid on the ground, forming a support for the walls. The space between the horizontal beams and the roof eaves was covered with wooden boards, forming the walls.

Large churches had a tall mast in the center to support the pointed roof (hence the name "mast churches"). This design was likely used by the Vikings in pre-Christian times, as Denmark, with which the Norwegians had close ties, had its first timber-framed churches long before missionaries began to spread across the Scandinavian Peninsula. The roof was covered with wooden shingles or layered stone and adorned with wooden carvings.

Often, the church's area was expanded by building galleries around it. The galleries did not have solid walls, which allowed for ventilation and prevented the wood from rotting. Inside and outside, the church was adorned with carved ornaments, and the interior walls were covered with paintings.

From the 11th to the 12th century, about 1,700 stave churches were built in Norway. Construction stopped with the outbreak of the plague in Scandinavia in 1349, which resulted in a half-million population decline in Norway by the 15th century, and the need for new churches was no longer felt. In the 17th century, large churches were built in stone, often on the site of stave churches, which were ruthlessly demolished. By 1800, there were only 95 frame churches, and only 28 have survived to this day.

It was not until the 19th century that Norwegian society became interested in the history of national art and architecture, largely due to the efforts of the artist Johan Christian Dahl. While studying in Germany, he became interested in medieval art, and in 1844, he initiated the establishment of the Norwegian Society for the Preservation of Antiquities. Among other historical sites, the organization saved nine stave churches from destruction.

I will tell you about one of them, the Gulyan woman, in the next article.