Nore Stave Church
Nore Stave Church is the third church you’ll pass if driving up the medieval Numedal Valley from Oslo towards Geilo. And, like its neighbours, it has unique qualities. What makes this church special is that its floor plan is unknown in Norway. It is an original cruciform church. In comparison, the other stave churches were rebuilt as cruciform churches much later. Additionally, Nore Stave Church is well decorated. Its interior is special in so many ways.
In this article, I explore what makes this church so special. This includes its history, architecture, and decoration. At the bottom you’ll find some info on visiting the church.
In this article...
History of Nore Stave Church & Nore Community
Nore is a tiny village located along the Norefjord, a lake that continues on from the Numedal River. On the west side of the lake is the original settlement, including farms and the church. On the east is the main road through the valley. The bridge is from 1930; before then, the locals had to take boats across. The word ‘Nore’ comes from the Old Norse ‘nore’ meaning “narrow sound or strait”, referring to the lake. Nore stave church is south of the main town.
What about the church? Well, its age is somewhat unknown. Looking at the wood, it’s believed that the church is from some time after 1167. The portal is the same age as the one found in Flesberg, which is from between 1163 and 1189. The centre mast in Nore was felled in the winter of 1167/1168, and it’s believed they built the church with fresh wood, likely in the following summer.
During an archaeological excavation, archaeologists found coins under the floor. In total there are 276 coins, and 24 of them from Håkon Håkonsson’s reign (1217-1263).
The unique building style of Nore Stave Church
The floor plan of Nore Stave Church is unique. It is built as a cruciform church with an even floor plan; a style unknown in any other church in Norway. The big question is whether it was originally built as a cruciform church, or if later builders added the arms. In other stave churches, the cruciform floor plan came much later. Stone churches in Norway didn’t have this floor plan either. The closest similarity is a church in Kalundborg, Denmark, built in the late 12th century. It’s pretty much unknown where this Norwegian builder took inspiration. Other stave churches may have had this style, but they are all gone. After all, there are only 28 stave churches remaining of the original 1000.
There’s lots of evidence for age of the floor plan. First off, the staves in the middle walls are younger than the corner staves, likely from the 15th century. Still, there are grooves in the staves indicating that the centre mast (the large vertical beam in the middle of the church) is from the original construction. Therefore, it is likely that the younger staves were added to reinforce or repair the church.
In the middle of the church is its central mast, a large vertical beam. It supports the tower (turret) on top of the church. While the tower is from 1730, the central mast is dated to the original stave church. This suggests that there has always been a tower on the church, it was simply replaced later on. The tower and central mast had to be strong enough to support and ring the church bells. It is uncommon to find a tower on a stave church; often the church bells were kept in a separate building as their weight was too much for the stave church.
The uniqueness of the architecture has given the style the name “Nummedals-type”.
Renovation in the 17th & 18th centuries
Like many stave churches, especially the ones in Numedal Valley, Nore underwent huge changes between 1650 and 1750. The first renovations added the chancel, transepts, western porch and sacristy. Only the nave (the middle of the church) is in its original form.
The overall construction is complex with bits of the old and the new scattered around the church. Still, the main structure of the stave church is original and in tact. Moreover, builders reused older parts of the church in newer constructions.
Saving Nore Stave Church
Like many other stave churches in Norway, Nore was old and in desperate need of repair in the 19th century. The locals wanted a newer and larger church. There was interest in demolishing the stave church. However, in 1888, art historian and author Lorentz Dietrichson (1834-1917) purchased the church. He had a major role in founding the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments (Fortidsminneforeningen) and donated Nore Stave Church to the Society in 1890.
Restoration Work
The last comprehensive restoration was done in 1927, after the Society took over. At this point, the church was leaning strongly and had to be straightened. Some beams were replaced due to rotting. The terrain under the floor had to be levelled.
Interior & Exterior Decoration
Nore Stave Church is beautiful both inside and out – sounds like a motivational poster! But seriously, the decoration of this church makes it special.
The decoration is from all time periods. For example, under the pulpit and to the west of the nave are remains of benches from the Middle Ages. These were the only seats; before the Lutheran Reformation you had to stand in the church. The seats were for the old and the sick. There are two rune inscriptions in the church, one being a prayer saying “grant me all that is good.”
Most of the medieval inventory is gone, except for the baptismal font. There are two carved crucifixes in the church and they are from the 13th century. They’ve undergone some surgery over the years, though. One got a new face and the other got new arms and a thick second coat of paint!
Lots of images and sketches of the church can be found at snl.no (click here)
Most of the decoration is from 1650-1750. The wall paintings are mostly from this time, and the paintings depict Bible verses, leaves, flowers and fruit. The decoration is very like Flesberg, which is from the same period. The altarpiece is a copy of the one in Kongsberg Church, also like Flesberg. The portal on the porch is decorated with animal and plant imagery. There are also two winged dragons (a pagan symbol) that have wound their necks around each other. Above the portal is a large plate with embossed lions that holds the Danish/Norwegian King Frederik IV’s crowned monogram. Below the monogram is the date “1723”.
Stave Churches were not built with windows. If anything, they had tiny circular windows. After all, glass was not common in Norway at the time and it can get very cold in the winter! The windows on the church were added to the church in the 17th century.
Surrounding Cemetery
The cemetery is older than the church. Archaeological excavations show that an older burial ground stood under the church. Two medieval tombs were found under the church, and one theory is that it was the builder of the church and his wife. The graves were sunken and the area was levelled by filling in the graves.
It’s believed that another church stood here before the present church, but it was in a slightly different position. The oldest graves are to the south than those from the time of the stave church. The older church may have had a different orientation.
The cemetery is surrounded by an old stone fence. The village road used to pass through the graveyard. On the north side is a stone slab with an iron ring to tie a horse on.
Visiting the church
The church is open from mid-June to mid-August every day between 10am and 6pm. Tickets cost 70 NOK for an adult. The up-to-date information can be found here.
There are brown tourist road signs pointing to the church and it can be seen from a distance, so it’s fairly easy to find. Just follow Fv40 (the main highway through the Numedal Valley) and turn off to cross the bridge.
There is a parking area in front of the church (free).
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