Røldal Stave Church

Røldal Stave Church (Norwegian: Røldal stavkyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Røldal. It is the church for the Røldal parish which is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The brown, wooden stave church was built in around the year 1250 using designs by an unknown architect. The church seats about 130 people and is built in a long church design.[1][2] The church is a preserved historic museum, but it is still a regularly-used parish church that holds regularly scheduled worship services twice a month.

Røldal Stave Church
Røldal stavkyrkje
View of the church
59°49′51″N 6°49′21″E
LocationUllensvang, Vestland
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
Previous denominationCatholic Church
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
Foundedc. 1250
Consecratedc. 1250
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeLong church
Completedc. 1250 (1250)
Specifications
Capacity130
MaterialsWood
Administration
DioceseBjørgvin bispedømme
DeaneryHardanger og Voss prosti
ParishRøldal
TypeChurch
StatusAutomatically protected
ID85335

History

The estimated construction date of the church is generally thought to be between 1200 and 1250. A soapstone baptismal font in the church is dated to the same period. A crucifix in the church dates from about 1250. The church has a rectangular-shaped nave and chancel. The Bergen Museum holds a variety of building components and other artifacts from the medieval church. These include altar frontal and wooden sculptures of St. Olaf from about 1250, of the Virgin Mary with child from about 1250, and the Archangel Michael, dated about 1200. In the Middle Ages, Røldal Church received large donations from many of pilgrims who flocked to the church. As a result, the small village where the church is located, became quite prosperous. In the 17th century the walls inside the church were richly decorated with paintings. The altarpiece dates to 1629. It was the design of German born painter Gottfried Hendtzschel from Breslau in Silesia.[3][4][5][6]

In the 1840s, the nave was enlarged by adding on to the building to the west. During this reconstruction of the church in 1844, some of the history of the church was uncovered. This led to an investigation to determine how the church was built. The resulting belief is that Røldal Stave Church was quite different from other stave churches. Some controversy developed about whether this is in fact a stave church or rather an example of the assumed predecessor type, a post church.[7][5][6]

From 1913 to 1918, the church underwent an extensive renovation and restoration. Paneling from the 19th century was removed and the Renaissance interior was restored. A new second floor seating gallery was also built around the church to protect the wall tables. The church reconstruction was led by Norwegian architect Jens Zetlitz Monrad Kielland (1866–1926), and the color restoration was performed by Norwegian painter Domenico Erdmann (1879–1940), who was assisted by Norwegian painter Alfred Obert Hagn (1882–1958), and Danish-Norwegian artist Ulrik Hendriksen (1891–1960).[8][9][10]

  • View of the church and graveyard
    View of the church and graveyard
  • Rear view of the church
    Rear view of the church
  • Altar in Røldal church
    Altar in Røldal church
  • Front interior view of the church
    Front interior view of the church
  • Back interior view of the church
    Back interior view of the church
  • Interior ceiling of the church
    Interior ceiling of the church
  • Statue of St Olav
    Statue of St Olav
  • Statue of Madonna and child
    Statue of Madonna and child
  • Statue of Archangel Michael
    Statue of Archangel Michael
  • Side arcade of the church
    Side arcade of the church

See also

References
  1. "Røldal stavkyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  3. "Røldal stave church" (in Norwegian). Stavkirke.info. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  4. "Røldal stavkyrkje". Riksantikvaren. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  5. "Røldal stavkyrkje" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  6. "Røldal stavkirke". Norges-Kirker.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  7. Store norske leksikon. "Røldal stavkirke" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  8. Store norske leksikon. "Adolph Ulrik Hendriksen" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  9. Store norske leksikon. "Domenico Juul Erdmann" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  10. Jensenius, Jørgen H. (1998). "Røldal, Stavkirke Eller...?". Viking. LXI: 131–145.

Other sources
  • Bugge, Gunnar (1983). Stavkirker. Oslo: Dreyers Forlag. ISBN 8250420721.
  • Rønningen, G (1990). Kirketårn og takryttere fra 1621 til 1802 i Hamar. Oslo: University of Oslo.
  • Anker, Leif (2005). The Norwegian Stave Churches. Oslo: Arfo Forlag. ISBN 978-8291399294.
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