The Old Meeting Place & Stone Church of Tingvoll
Tingvoll Church is a historically important church in the west of Norway. Located close to Kristiansund on the Tingvollfjord, the site is where chieftains met in pre-Christian times. When Christianity came to Norway, they plopped a church down on the important place. Tingvoll Church has stood here since the second half of the 1100s. Today it’s one of the most important stone churches in the country.
If you find yourself driving around Kristiansund, I recommend making a detour to this church. Below I’ve written an overview of the history, decoration, and significant of the church. Hopefully, it inspires you to make the journey there.
In this article...
The Rv70 Highway
Tingvoll Church is located on the Rv70, a major highway in western Norway. You can find my guide to the Rv70 by clicking the link below.
History of Tingvoll Church
Tingvoll Church is one of the few stone churches remaining from early Christian times in Norway. The first mention of the church is in 1357. It is referred to as Þingualla kirkiu. However, the church is much older than that. It is from the 1100s.
The site of the church is important. The name Tingvoll refers to a meeting place where the chieftains would meet to discuss laws, events, and settlements. Ting is a word that comes from the Old Norse meaning ‘assembly’. Today the parliament in Norway is the Ting. ‘Tingvoll’ is a name found in many Viking settlements, too. This includes the Scottish town of Dingwall, the parliament on the Isle of Man is Tynwald, the English town of Thingwall, and Thingvellir in Iceland.
In the old times, Tingvoll was the meeting place of the chieftains for the region of Nordmøre. There is very little evidence that Tingvoll Church was an important county church. Instead, the choice of location is likely symbolic: representing Christianity coming to the region. Tingvoll Church is sometimes nicknamed Nordmøre Cathedral to symbolise the location as important in the region.
In the Middle Ages, there were around ten stone churches in the county. This indicates that the region was very important when it came to religion. They used stone as a building material for the most important churches. Normally, wooden stave churches were built during this period.
Johan Meyer’s Description of Tingvoll Church
A lot of what we know about Tingvoll Church today comes from one man, Johan Meyer. He (1860-1940) was a Norwegian architecture professor. Meyer conducted extensive work on Norwegian ancient monuments and historical architecture. He believes there used to be a stave church on the site, but it burned down during the Civil War in the 12th century. It was then replaced by the current church.
Meyer also wrote a detailed overview of the design, architecture, and use of the church. His book, Tingvoll County Church on Nordmøre, is the most important historical document on the church. It is from 1910 and you can read it online here (in Norwegian).
Click here to learn more about Johan Meyer.
Design & Architecture
As mentioned above, a lot of what we know about architecture comes from Johan Meyer. The walls of the church are 1.8m (5ft 11in) thick, and Meyer believed that the church doubled as a fortress. Unlike other stone churches in Norway, there are corridors and stairs in the thick walls. Tingvoll Church is the only church in Norway (and the Nordic region) partly built as a fortress with a corridor system and thick walls.
Other than the unique fortress aspect, Tingvoll Church has a similar style to other stone churches in Norway. This includes Veøy Gamle Kirke near Molde, Værnes Church in Trøndelag, Mære Church in Steinkjer, and Trondenes Church near Harstad.
The corners and openings have marble stone, a common feature of old churches in north-western Norway. Unlike many other medieval churches, though, there is an unusual number of windows. The three-leaf clover arches on the west gable are inspired by Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim.
Interior of the Church
The church is a little plainer than some other churches, especially the stave churches. But what decorations there are, we see rich and beautiful details. While there’s not much of it, what craftsmanship we can see shows that these people were very skilled.
Sadly, after the Reformation, the new Lutherans removed or covered many of the decorations. Efforts to uncover the old decoration took place during a more recent renovation, but many objects remain lost. Most of the decoration inside is reminiscent of the 17th century.
On the walls are remnants of frescos, but most of them were painted over during the Reformation. You can see a fresco of St. Georg in battle with a dragon, and a fresco on the north wall has remnants of a king and bishop.
Important Pieces
The pulpit is Dutch and comes from around 1632. The carved figures are in the Spanish Baroque style depicting Christ and the Evangelists and Adam and Eve on the canopy.
The altarpiece is early Gothic from the 13th century and still in use, though there is a second Baroque altarpiece from 1660.
The baptismal font is from Nuremberg and dates back to 1444. It’s made of brass.
On the lecture wall/choir wall are two preserved chapter figures from 1200. They were uncovered when the wall opened in a later restoration. The 17th-century wall had been built over the figures. Today, they are the only stone sculptures in the church.
A special item inside is the ‘King’s Chair’. It is from 1662 and has its name because King Christian V of Denmark/Norway visited in 1685. He attended service at Tingvoll Church and sat in the chair. So, it became known as the King’s Chair! In memory of the event, a monogram C5 is above the chair.
Runic Inscriptions
Like many churches, this also has a runic inscription on it. A rune inscription is the Old Norse written text carved into stone or wood. These runes are on marble and say:
I pray for God’s sake you learned men who guard this holy place and all those who interpret my prayer: Remember my soul in holy prayers. But my name was Gunnar and I made this house. Live well.
Historians regard this inscription as one of the finest in a Norwegian church. Additionally, it teaches us a lot about this person. The person who did this inscription probably mastered Latin letters. Also, the spelling is influenced by Latin script culture. Because the spelling is consistent, the person was likely familiar with text in books.
Restoration Work Attempts and Lawsuits
The most original part of the church is the walls, which are the same as they were in the Middle Ages. Storms damaged the tower in the 17th and 18th centuries, and repair work in 1708 gave the tower its present form.
In the early 1900s, it was discovered that the building lacked proper foundations – the thick walls stood right on the ground. The ground underneath was sliding, causing the walls to begin to crack. A major restoration was done in 1928 when the interior got its current appearance.
And then came the lawsuit. In 2016, a new refurbishment of the exterior was carried out. Ever since the 12th century, the stone walls had traces of the original builders on them. However, the company that did the restoration used angle grinders – something you aren’t supposed to do – and destroyed the traces of the original buildings.
After the work was done, the National Heritage Board claimed that the company did the work in such a way that the surface of the rock changed. The case went to court. While the company was known for restoring old buildings, many errors were made on this one. The company had used incorrect methods and equipment, and the crew were not properly trained. They didn’t speak Norwegian well, and they didn’t understand the instruction and control. 1/6 of the buildings 300 stones were completely or partially damaged. The construction company was fined 400,000 NOK for their error.
Article about the damage + images of what the builders did
Another article with more pictures
Tingvoll Vicarage
Next to the church is the old vicarage (prestgård). This is the culture centre for Nordmøre, but historically it’s where the priests lived. Several priests who lived here are quite well known, such as Hans Tausen (1659-1697), who started an astronomical observatory here during his tenure. This guy was a character. Look here at this photo of him.
The buildings here are listed. The main building (with the turf roof) is from 1622-25, the barn is from 1900, and the boathouse is of unknown age.
Cemetery
In the cemetery you’ll find a memorial for all the locals who died during Wold War II.
The Church Today
Today the church is open during summer, and guided tours can be arranged. Summer concerts are held on Saturdays at 5pm.
There is a large (free) parking area outside, and it’s just a minute or so to walk to the church. It is fairly well signed from the town of Tingvoll, but all GPS navigation systems have it marked as well.
There are no facilities here.
The Rv70 Highway
Tingvoll Church is located on the Rv70, a major highway in western Norway. You can find my guide to the Rv70 by clicking the link below.
