Kaupanger Stave Church

Kaupanger Stave Church (Norwegian: Kaupanger stavkyrkje) is the largest stave church in Vestland county, Norway. It is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Sogndal Municipality and it is located in the village of Kaupanger, on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden. It is the church for the Kaupanger parish which is part of the Sogn prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The brown, wooden church was built in the mid-12th century (around 1140) and it has been in use ever since that time. The church seats about 125 people.[1][2]

Kaupanger Stave Church
Kaupanger stavkyrkje
View of the church
Kaupanger Stave Church Location of the church Show map of Vestland Kaupanger Stave Church Kaupanger Stave Church (Norway) Show map of Norway
61.184167°N 7.233333°E / 61.184167; 7.233333
Location	Sogndal Municipality, Vestland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Previous denomination	Catholic Church
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	12th century
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Unknown
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	c. 1140
Specifications
Capacity	125
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Kaupanger
Deanery	Sogn prosti
Diocese	Bjørgvin
Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site
Type	Church
Status	Automatically protected
ID	84766

The church is a Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site and it is owned by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments. The nave is supported by 22 staves (large bearing columns), eight on each of the longer sides and three on each of the shorter. The elevated chancel is carried by four free standing staves. The church has the largest number of staves to be found in any one stave church. It is the largest of the five stave churches in Sogn og Fjordane county.[3][4]

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1308, but the church was likely built in the mid-12th century, around the year 1140. It is situated on the ruins of what might be two previous stave churches. Kaupanger was a market town that King Sverre burned down in 1184 to punish the local inhabitants for disobeying him. It was previously thought that the stave church previously standing on this site burned down in this fire, as archaeological research in the 1960s revealed that the previous church had burned down. The present church was therefore believed to have been built around 1190. Recent research has changed these assumptions. Dendrochronology has shown that the timber used for building the church was cut in 1137. Also, Sverris saga makes no mention of the burning of the church at the time the town was burnt. Consequently, it is now assumed that the church was built around 1140–1150.[5][3]

Several restoration projects have taken place both inside the church and on the exterior. A major reconstruction was carried out in 1862, which has been called a "brutal modernization". New rows of windows were cut into the sides of the church, white exterior panelling was installed and dark roof tiles covered the old shingle roof. In 1959–1960, a restoration was carried out and many of the 1862 changes were undone and it was brought back to its 17th century look. The pulpit, altarpiece and font are all from the 17th century. In 1984, composer Arne Nordheim was inspired by the neumes and the sound of the medieval bells in Kaupanger stave church in composing the work Klokkesong, which was first performed inside the church as part of the 800th commemoration of the Battle of Fimreite.[3][4]

Media gallery

• 
  Exterior front view
• 
  Exterior side view
• 
  Exterior rear view
• 
  Baptistery
• 
  Chancel
• 
  Interior view
• 
  Nave
• 
  Old wall painting
• 
  Picture above chancel
• 
  View of the staves (columns) inside the church
• 
  Pulpit
• 
  View from a distance

See also

• List of churches in Bjørgvin

References

1. "Kaupanger stavkyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
3. "Kaupanger stavkyrkje" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
4. Henden Aaraas, Margrethe; Vengen, Sigurd; Gjerde, Anders. "Kaupanger stavkyrkje" (in Norwegian). Fylkesarkivet. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
5. "Kaupanger stavkirke". Stavekirke.info.

External links

• Kaupanger stave church Stavkirke.info (in Norwegian)
• Kaupanger stave church Fortidsminneforeninga's information page