Medieval Norwegian Wooden (Stave) Churches: Built Heritage and Places of Memory

Abstract

This paper focuses on the Norwegian medieval religious buildings called stave churches. The word stave (meaning ‘post, pole’ in Norwegian) derives from the buildings’ post and lintel construction, giving the churches their characteristic style. The structures display a highly developed tradition of wooden Christian buildings, which during the Middle Ages (1050–1500) where the most common in Norway, their number can be estimated at around a thousand. There were probably at least as widespread in other areas (e.g. on the territory of present-day Germany and Russia), but they did not remain in such a large number from the early period. However, the number have declined dramatically, and today only 28 are preserved. The article aims to expand the knowledge of the unique and irreplaceable wooden architecture of the stave churches. Although we consider the wooden churches to be one of the characteristics of Scandinavia traditionally, they mix and carry the influences of other cultures and countries. The heritage and memorial role of wooden churches, as well as the motif of the combination of different architectural and religious elements, represent an interesting comparison to similar phenomena in the Carpathian Basin. Transylvania and especially the Maramureş region are also famous for their wooden churches and the rich carved and painted iconostasis.