This medieval wooden church is in such excellent condition it’s hard to believe it was built over 800 years ago. Happening upon Borgund Stave Church in Norway, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d walked onto the set of a Tolkien fantasy film or a scene from “Game of Thrones.”
One of Norway’s most visited landmarks, the timber structure dating from around A.D. 1180 even features roof carvings of dragons’ heads. There are 28 stave churches left out of more than 100 that once existed in the Scandinavian country, a mark of its Viking heritage.
They take their name from the Nordic tradition of building with corner posts—staves—used as the starting point for creating a framework of timber. Massive hauls of wood harvested from the surrounding areas were used to make every part, erected atop a stone foundation.
There is more than an element of myth and magic to their roots. Legend has it that these enchanting places sprang up on sacred ground, where practitioners of the Norse faith would worship outdoors. The stave churches were cold and dark, but a step up from braving the harsh northern elements.
Norse religion was polytheistic. Believers worshipped not only several gods and goddesses, but also believed in giants, dwarves, and elves, which accounts for the highly unusual design of their churches. The 12th century was also a time of crossover between pagan beliefs and Christianity, hence the incorporation of Christian elements, as Norse worshippers recognized both the old gods and the Christian God.
Incredibly elaborate carvings combine Christian and Viking symbols, such as the Christian cross and Thor’s hammer. Borgund Stave Church, situated in Lærdal Municipality in Vestland county, is dedicated to the Apostle Andrew.
One aspect that adds to its mysterious appearance is the strikingly dark wood, which was tarred to protect it from extreme weather. The effect of the steeply slanted shingle roof, turrets, and steeple set against the surrounding green countryside is fairytale-like, indeed. Within the church itself, decorated portals tell stories of olden folk and fable.
The names and symbols of local attending families, at the time, were carved into the sidebar of the church pews, and even today are connected to people living in Borgund village and its outskirts. These wonderfully unique churches once played a vital role in the community, but by the start of the 19th century, most of them had disappeared to make way for warmer, brighter buildings.
In 1851, a law was passed ruling that places of worship must hold capacity for at least a third of those living in the local area, which sounded the final death knell for the stave churches. Thankfully, a handful were preserved and they are now important tourist destinations, with thousands visiting this fascinating gem, untouched for centuries, every year.
