Fantoft Stave Church

The original church was built at Fortun in Sogn around 1150 and moved to Fantoft in 1883 to save it from demolition, reassembled in a wooded suburb south of Bergen with dragon heads on the gables and a shingled exterior tarred black. In June 1992 it was burned down in an arson attack linked to the Norwegian black metal scene, and the destruction became infamous through its use on an album cover. What stands now is a careful reconstruction completed in 1997, built with traditional methods from the surviving documentation. That history is the honest context of a visit: the building is a faithful copy rather than a medieval structure, and it sits in a quiet wood with a stone cross brought from Sola.

History

The church was built around 1150 at Fortun in Sogn, and when a new church replaced it there in 1879 it was threatened with demolition; consul Fredrik Georg Gade bought it and moved it in pieces to Fana near Bergen in 1883. It was lost to arson on 6 June 1992 and has been rebuilt (Wikipedia, Fantoft Stave Church).

Highlights

• The reconstructed church - a 1997 rebuild using traditional methods.
• The dragon heads - carved gable ornaments in the stave church style.
• The tarred shingles - black pine-tar exterior typical of the type.
• The stone cross - an old cross brought from Sola standing beside it.

When to go

May to September, the seasonal opening period; the exterior can be seen year-round from the path. Bergen rain is frequent, and the wooded setting is atmospheric in mist.

Good to know

This is a reconstruction, not a surviving medieval building, which disappoints visitors who do not know the story. Opening is seasonal with limited hours, the interior is small and plain, and it is a ten-minute uphill walk from the light rail.

Nearby

Troldhaugen, Grieg's home, is nearby; Bergen centre is twenty minutes by light rail.

Key facts