Urnes Stave Church Building (Norway)

Urnes Stave Church (Norwegian: Urnes stavkirke) is a stave church building at the Ornes farm, along the Lustrafjord inwards the municipality of Luster inwards Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway, close v kilometres (3.1 mi) due east of the hamlet of Hafslo.

It has been owned yesteryear Fortidsminneforeningen (Society for the Preservation of Norwegian Ancient Monuments) since 1881. In 1979, the Urnes stave church building was listed equally a World Heritage Site yesteryear UNESCO.

History

The church building was built approximately 1130 or before long thereafter, too yet stands inwards its original location; it is believed to last the oldest of its kind. It provides a link betwixt Christian architecture too the architecture too artforms of the Viking Age alongside typical animal-ornamentation, the then called "Urnes style" of animal-art.

Pilgrim at a working capital alphabetic lineament on exceed of a stave

Archaeological investigations accept discovered the remains of one, or perchance two, churches on the site prior to the electrical flow building. The excavations uncovered holes inwards the basis from earth-bound posts which had belonged to an early on postal service church, a type of church building alongside walls supported yesteryear curt sills inserted betwixt free-standing posts. It is non known if this church building had a raised roof higher upwards the cardinal infinite of the nave similar the acquaint church. The earliest possible dating of this church building is the early on eleventh century.

Figure of the Madonna

In the 17th century the nave of the church, which is a raised cardinal room surrounded yesteryear an aisle, was extended southwards. Other elements were likewise added to the church, including a baptismal font (1640), a wooden canopy higher upwards the altar (1665) too a pulpit (1693–1695). The altarpiece, which depicts Christ on the cross alongside the Virgin Mary too John the Baptist, dates from 1699. Windows were added to the church building inwards the 18th century.

The parish of Urnes was abolished inwards 1881, too became a purpose of the parish of Solvorn (as it yet is). The church building has non been inwards ordinary exercise after this year.

Shield

North portal

The portal too other details of the northward wall of the acquaint church, equally good equally the wall planks of the gables, are decorated inwards classic Urnes-style. They are in all likelihood relics from 1 of the before churches. It has been speculated that the portal may originally accept been the master copy portal, facing west.

There accept been numerous attempts to translate the ornament (iconography) of the church's most remarkable part, the one-time portal inwards the northern wall. The images are to a greater extent than frequently than non considered to correspond a serpent curling upwards. At the lower halt at that spot is an fauna alongside 4 feet biting the snake.

A mutual interpretation of this scene is that it portrays the eternal instruct by betwixt skillful too evil. The fauna is widely believed to last a stylised lion. In Christian iconography the king of beasts is a symbol of Christ, fighting the evil symbolized yesteryear the snake, a mutual representation of Satan.

On the other hand, it is possible that the ornament of the before church building featured some scenes from Norse mythology, a probable argue for its premature reconstruction inwards the twelfth century. In this context, the fauna may last interpreted equally Níðhöggr eating the roots of Yggdrasil. "The intertwined snakes too dragons correspond the halt of the public according to the Norse legend of Ragnarök."

Present building

The church building is built alongside a rectangular nave too a narrower choir. The nave too choir both accept raised cardinal spaces. The choir was extended to the due east inwards the 17th century, simply this improver was afterwards removed. The drawing yesteryear Johan Christian Dahl depicts this, equally good equally the deteriorated state of the church building at that time. During the 20th century the church building underwent a restoration, too the richly decorated wall planks were covered to halt farther deterioration.

A large publish of medieval constructive elements stay inwards situ: basis beams (grunnstokker), sills (sviller), corner posts (hjørnestolper), wall planks (veggtiler) too aisle wall plates (stavlægjer). The structure of the raised cardinal surface area alongside staves, strings too cross braces, too the roof itself, likewise engagement from medieval times.

From the previous church building on the site remain, inwards improver to the portal, 2 wall planks inwards the northern wall, the corner postal service of the choir, the western gable of the nave too the eastern gable of the choir.