Undredal Stave Church

Undredal stave church was built in the middle of the twelfth century, possibly in 1147, and is the smallest stave church still in use in Scandinavia, a white-painted single room seating about forty people, still in parish use for a village of roughly a hundred residents. The interior carries painted decoration from the seventeenth century on the ceiling and walls. The village around it had no road connection until 1988 and was reached only by boat, which is part of why it retained its character: steep goat farms on the slopes above, and a cheese tradition that produced brown goat cheese and the white Undredal cheese, both still made here and sold in the village. Goats outnumber people. The fjord ferry between Flam and Gudvangen passes the hamlet.

History

The church was built in the middle of the 12th century, possibly in 1147, and roughly the eastern two-thirds of today's building is original: a nave of 5.6 by 4.7 metres and a chancel of 2.3 by 2.3 metres. The choir was rebuilt and enlarged around 1600, and at 12 by 4 metres with 40 seats it is the smallest stave church still in use in Scandinavia (Wikipedia, Undredal Stave Church).

What you'll find

• The tiny church - a white stave building seating around forty.
• The painted ceiling - seventeenth-century decoration inside.
• The goat farms - steep slopes above the village with working herds.
• The cheese - brown and white goat cheeses made and sold locally.

When to go

May to September, when the church opens and the cheese producers receive visitors; the fjord ferry passes through in the same season. The village is quiet outside summer with most services closed.

Good to know

The church is genuinely tiny and the visit takes twenty minutes, with seasonal opening and closures for services. Parking in the village is very limited and the access road is narrow. Summer brings more visitors than the hamlet comfortably holds.

Nearby

Flam and Aurland are up the fjord; Gudvangen and the Naeroyfjord lie west.

Key facts