Undredal Stave Church

Undredal Stave Church (Norwegian: Undredal stavkyrkje) is a parish church in Aurland Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Undredal, on the shore of the Aurlandsfjorden. It is the church for the Undredal parish which is part of the Sogn prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden church was built in a stave church style around the year 1147.[1][2]

Undredal Stave Church
Undredal stavkyrkje
Undredal Stave Church
Location of the church
Undredal Stave Church
Undredal Stave Church (Norway)
60.9509°N 7.1025°E / 60.9509; 7.1025
LocationAurland Municipality,
Vestland
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
Previous denominationCatholic Church
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
Foundedc. 1147
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Unknown
Architectural typeStave church
Completedc. 1147
Specifications
Capacity40
MaterialsWood
Administration
ParishUndredal
DeanerySogn prosti
DioceseBjørgvin
TypeChurch
StatusAutomatically protected
ID85725

The church is only 12 by 4 metres (39 by 13 ft) and has only 40 seats, making it the smallest stave church still in use in all of Scandinavia. The parish only includes one small, rather isolated valley, with only 116 parishioners, making it the second smallest parish in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.[3]

History

Undredal Stave Church was built in the middle of the 12th century, probably the year 1147. The church has been moved from different locations and reconstructed a few times. Around 1850, the building was extended to the west with the addition of a belltower and porch. In 1913, there were plans to dismantle the church and move it to a museum in the village of Kaupanger (in Sogndal), but this never happened. Instead it was reconstructed in 1984 and underwent extensive maintenance work. Inside the church, the ceiling is decorated with biblical figures and angels.[4][5]

  • The altar
  • The nave
  • Front view
  • The spire

See also

References
  1. "Undredal stavkyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  3. Djupedal, Torkjell; Vengen, Sigurd; Gjerde, Anders. "Undredal stavkyrkje" (in Norwegian). Fylkesarkivet. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  4. "Undredal". Stavkirke.info. Archived from the original on 2010-09-25.
  5. "Undredal stavkyrkje" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2020-01-19.

Other sources
  • Anker, Leif (2005). The Norwegian Stave Churches. Oslo: Arfo Forlag. ISBN 9788291399294.
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