Stiklestad Church

Stiklestad Church (Norwegian: Stiklestad kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Verdal municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Stiklestad. It is the church for the Stiklestad parish which is part of the Stiklestad prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros. The church seats about 520 people.[1][2]

Stiklestad Church
Stiklestad kirke
View of the church
Stiklestad Church Location of the church Show map of Trøndelag Stiklestad Church Stiklestad Church (Norway) Show map of Norway
63.7969°N 11.5600°E / 63.7969; 11.5600
Location	Verdal, Trøndelag
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Previous denomination	Catholic Church
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Archbishop Øystein Erlendsson
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	1180
Specifications
Capacity	520
Materials	Stone
Administration
Parish	Stiklestad
Deanery	Stiklestad prosti
Diocese	Nidaros

History

Stiklestad Church altar

The gray, Romanesque church was built of stone in a long church style. Construction started with the building of the chancel in the year 1180 under direction of Archbishop Øystein Erlendsson. The nave of the church is of a later date than the chancel dating from around 1200. At some point during the Late Middle Ages the nave was extended towards the west. [3]

The church was built at the site of the Battle of Stiklestad. During the battle, St. Olaf received three severe wounds: an axe to the knee, a spear into the stomach and the final mortal hit in the neck by another axe. He died on 29 July 1030 leaning against a large stone (Olavssteinen). The church building is assumed to have been erected on the exact spot where St. Olaf was killed during that battle and that stone is supposedly still inside the altar of the church.[4][5] [6]

The former baroque style altarpiece dates from 1655. It was carved by Johan Johansen, bilthugger and the altarpiece was originally painted by Johan Hanssønn, kontrafeier. The church under went restoration to coincide with the St Olaf Jubilee (Olavsjubileet) of 1930. [7] [8]

Stiklestad Church is the namesake of the Stiklestad United Lutheran Church in Minnesota, United States, established by Norwegian emigrants in 1897.[9]

Gallery

• 
  Front of the church (Chancel)
• 
  Back of the church (Nave)
• 
  Side entrance
• 
  West entrance
• 
  Wall mural

View of the area (scroll to the right for more of the picture)

See also

• List of churches in Nidaros

References

1. "Stiklestad kirke". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
3. "Stiklestad Kirke". Krigsminnesmerker i Norge. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
4. Verdal historielag. "Stiklestad kirke" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
5. Store norske leksikon. "Stiklestad" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2011-07-04.
6. "Olavssteinen på Stiklestad". Krigsminnesmerker i Norge. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
7. Sigrid Christie. "Johan Johansen, bilthugger". Norsk kunstnerleksikon. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
8. Ingeborg Reitan. "Johan Hanssønn, kontrafeier". Norsk kunstnerleksikon. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
9. Harvey, Tom (September 1979). "Minnesota Historic Properties Inventory Form: Stiklestad Church" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-07-29. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)