Heddal stave church

This is Heddal stave church, which is Norway's largest stave church - a wooden cathedral from the 13th century that is still in use as a parish church. The exterior and interior take you back to the fascinating world of the Middle Ages.

Heddal stave church is 25 m long, 17 m wide and 29 m high, with three towering spires. The building material is ore pine.

A corridor runs around the entire building, with four entrance portals. The carved ornaments around the doors are lush and mysterious.

Inside the church there are traces of various phases of 800 years of church life. A group of medieval furniture has recently been made available. The motifs on these constitute a captivating testimony of Norse belief and myth.

The name "stave church" comes from the staves (pillars), which are a characteristic part of the construction. There were once around 1,000 stave churches in Norway, but only 28 are preserved today.

The church in Heddal stands centrally in the village, surrounded by large farms. Here there was easy access both from the country road and by boat from the river. Suitable timber for the building was readily available in the immediate area. Like most churches, it is set up in an east-west direction.

Old sources say that Heddal stave church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary on 25 October, but the year is not clear. Dating tests show that the church must be from the middle of the 13th century, but some of the building materials are from the Viking Age - in the 9th century.

The church is located in Notodden municipality in Vestfold and Telemark county.