It's one thing that we have stone buildings still standing that are a lot older that this. But it's mindblowing to me that a wooden structure this old still survives. So I had to google it and apparently the oldest wooden building - a temple in Japan - is 500 years older than this church!

I'm from Norway and my job is to drive around the country, so basically I get paid to be on "holiday". We have 28 stave churches left in Norway (and one was moved to Sweden) and I've seen them all. My favorite is Borgund Stave church, but this one is cool too, they all are even tho I'm not religious. We don't have earthquakes or tornadoes, but we have severe storms, especially in the north and western parts of Norway. Don't get them too often in the east where I live.

Most preserved stave churches in Norway are located east of the mountains. What is impressive about the stave churches in the west is that it rains much more west of the mountains than in the east. This is located some distance into the Sognefjord, so it is possibly the reason why it is still standing, that it does not rain as much as out on the coast. There are several stave churches in the Sognefjord, but this is the furthest west of all the Norwegian stave churches, as far as I can see.

I have been in several stavkirka, they are beautifull!

We've been there. It's beautiful!

There's a church from the 1100's here in my town in Sweden too, but it's made of stone.

Thanks for showing us this Charlie, beautyfull to see 😍

It was very common to bury nobles or high up religious people like bishops under the floor of churches. I've seen plenty of those "burial cover slabs" in the floor of churches here in Belgium and in churches I've visited in other Europian countries. Sadly I've never been to any Scandinavian country, I was planning to but I haven't been further than an hour driving away from my town Oostende, Belgium since I got chronically ill at 27 (I'm 50 now).

@eurotestudo

6 ай бұрын

In Denmark we have a term to be “stinking rich ” which comes from those people being borrowed under the church floor.

Never been to that church, but my sister was married in Heddal Stavkirke and it really looked like a fairytale! Heddal stavkirke is about 800 years. They can be quite magnificent and majestic.

@Hansen710

8 ай бұрын

the fact that jelling church in denmark is from the year 1000-1100, makes this look a bit poor... after all we did have the same king and religion the way the viking and christian styles are mixed together, makes it looks a bit like no one cared about that corner of the country.. for a wooden building it is ok, but as a church it is very confusing do you really call these viking churches in norway (they are build after the viking age) we dont call our churches that was build by vikings "viking churches" in denmark vikings did not worship thor or odin in a church jelling church was build by the orders of harald bluetooth to convert vikings into christians for example, so calling it a viking church is a bit wrong..

Been in that church, or one just like it, they smell like an old wooden ship even..

Originaly those stavekirke's were covert in wale-oil. Not tar. I've seen several of these churches in Norway (28 in total),but never in tar. Strange. Also the roofs were from wood!

My local church is a bit more modern. It was finished 1251. The most remarkable thing about it, is that it's absolutely unremarkable. No big attraction, no tourists, just your everyday still in use little village church.

nah a language can be local or known to be for a wider area, That would be true in the 13th century but also today. for instance in The Netherlands English is a second but very very well known language. I even consider English my second language before Friesian (and I am a born Frisian) . to be honest I think I am more fluent in English and German Than I am in Friesian. Which in itself would be a reason to protect minority languages (wherever they are) better.

i have not ben here spesificaly but i have ben to 2 other stave churches

Well no it was quite common for Lords or kings of the different regions to get bury in the churches better protected graves from the elements and common thieves and on a religious level to show that you were better than the common rabble and closer to God since it was believed at the time gave the king his right to rule thus everything he did was gods will and if he chose a noble to rule a region that noble was also chosen by god. Its very common to find graves of the nobility in old churches and even our royals are still buried in churches with a sarcophagus you can go see and after a long while the whole sarcophagus is moved into burial vault to rest with their ancestors. These days its reserved for only the King and Queen. Those shields was heraldic to show of ones family line not to defend with XD. It could have been an important trade town meaning that both the Northern Norwegians and Southern Norwegians and the Nobility or guest would mingle there thus needing more languages or it might have been from when Denmark or Sweden ruled the thus require more languages. I have not been but I really want to go

@Hansen710

8 ай бұрын

i think the jelling rune stones explain the need for more then 1 laungege, as harald bluetooth was danish and he was converting people in more then 1 country this was build long after, the viking age, but looking at the design of this building thesse people still had alot to learn 🤣 this was not a place the king would have showed the pope 😂

this was build after the vikings became christians by faith.. i would argue this is not a 100% viking church, if it was then it was a late cult gone rouge but there is pretty good chances they was not praying to only thor and odin in that church in norway the viking age was over by the battle by Stiklestad i 1030. around 965 harald bluetooth gets the jelling stone made that calls for vikings to become christians harald bluetooth was the king of both norway and denmark so two of the laugeges probetly are connected to that as he was trying to convert people i would also argue that vikings did not use churches to worship thor or odin, those churches had another purpose. that is why they are not found in the real viking days ofcourse we see symbols from the past in the old churches, but calling it a viking church is a bit fake you can see some viking inspired art, but you deffently also see the roman inspired shapes on the wood poles.. and the roman culture came along with the christian faith.. i never seen that on anything from the real viking age i think the jelling stones are more connected to vikings and churches then this building from a whole other time period they deffently makes me feel like im looking at the time where the vikings stopped being vikings they also have a christian church in the background, that is over a thousind years old (and the same king ruled both countrys) that is made around year 1000-1100

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