Heddal Stave Church

Heddal is the largest of Norway's surviving stave churches, built in the early 1200s and expanded from an earlier building, with three towers rising in tiers over a shingled black-tarred body and steep roofs stacked one above another. Inside, the timber posts stand on sills, carved capitals show foliage and beasts, and a bishop's chair of around 1200 carries scenes from the Sigurd legend, a pagan story in a Christian building. Remains of medieval wall paintings, painted over in the seventeenth century, were restored to their medieval designs in 2008-2010. The church was heavily restored around 1850 in a manner later judged clumsy and restored again in the 1950s to undo it. It remains a working parish church with regular services.

History

The church was built around 1200, though its earliest written record dates from 1315; after the Reformation it fell into disrepair, and in 1723 it was sold to a private owner in the Norwegian church sale. A rebuilding in 1848-1851 to designs by Johan Henrik Nebelong was strongly criticised, and in the 1950s Gudolf Blakstad and Herman Munthe-Kaas undid his changes (Wikipedia, Heddal Stave Church).

What's there

• The three tiered towers - the stacked roofs and spires of the largest stave church.
• The Sigurd chair - a bishop's chair carved with Norse legend.
• The wall paintings - medieval designs, painted over in the seventeenth century and restored in 2008-2010.
• The carved capitals - foliage and beast ornament on the timber posts.

When to go

May to September, when the church is open for visits with guides; outside that season it is used for services and can be seen only from outside. Summer weekends bring coach groups.

Practical notes

The interior opens only in the tourist season and closes for weddings and services. The building has been restored twice in ways that removed original material. Photography inside is sometimes restricted.

Nearby

Notodden and the Rjukan-Notodden UNESCO industrial sites are close; Telemark canal locks lie south.

Key facts