Uvdal Stave Church

Uvdal stave church was built around 1168 as a simple single-nave building and enlarged over the following centuries into a cross plan, and its interest lies almost entirely inside: nearly every surface of the walls and ceiling carries painted decoration applied between 1656 and the early eighteenth century, in dense floral and figurative patterns. A free-standing central post, added when the church was enlarged in the Middle Ages, stands in the nave. The building stands in the Numedal valley, which markets itself as the medieval valley for the number of surviving buildings along it, including four stave churches and a large number of medieval log houses.

History

Tree-ring dating shows the church was built just after 1168, and an excavation in 1978 found remains of an earlier church beneath it. The chancel was rebuilt wider in 1684, the church became cruciform in 1721-1723, and its interior was painted in 1656, with the later extensions decorated in 1684 and 1723 (Wikipedia, Uvdal Stave Church).

What you'll find

• The painted interior - walls and ceiling covered in seventeenth-century decoration.
• The central post - a free-standing stave added in a medieval enlargement.
• The cross plan - the enlarged shape formed over several centuries.
• The Numedal setting - a valley with an unusual density of medieval buildings.

When to go

May to September, when the church and the adjoining open-air museum are open; hours are limited and the church closes for services. The Numedal valley drive works well as a full-day route.

Practical notes

The church is small and the visit short. Photography inside may be restricted to protect the painting. Opening is seasonal only, and the valley's other medieval buildings keep similarly limited hours.

Nearby

The Uvdal open-air museum is beside the church; Nore stave church and the Numedal valley run south.

Key facts