Although none of the 29 stave churches that now survive belongs to the first generation of Norwegian churches, we now know that those built in the eleventh century - during the early period of conversion to Christianity, - were closely related to the stave churches. The earliest ones were built of wood and had walls of upright posts and planks. However, the posts were embedded in holes in the ground. This gave them sufficient stability to function as the constructive framework of the building, but it also caused their bases to rot. Traces of this first generation of Norwegian churches can still be seen in the form of rows of deep post-holes at archaeological sites, and decayed remains of wood at the bottom of the post-holes clearly reveal the fate of these early constructions. Apparently, the first generation churches did not stand for more than about a hundred years. In the twelfth century the need for more solid constructions became obvious. The problem was solved by introducing sills, upon which the planks and staves rested, thus raising the walls above ground level and protecting them against rot. The method proved so effective that churches built in the twelfth century are still standing today. It is this method of construction that has given the stave churches their name. A stave wall consists of vertical planks with their bases in a groove in the sill-beam, and their tops in a groove in the wall-plate. At each corner is an upright post connected to the sill below and the wall-plate above. Thus, a stave wall has a solid frame consisting of sill, wall-plate, and two corner posts. This sill is filled with vertical planks. The sills of the four walls form a solid horizontal frame on which the whole church rests. The wall-plates form a corresponding horizontal frame at the top.

Many different types of stave church have been built but they have one shared feature in that all have stave walls. The most common type is a simple, relatively small building with a nave and a narrow chancel. An even simpler construction is the long church, in which the nave and the chancel form a single, rectangular building of uniform breadth under a pitched roof. In these churches the chancel has been divided off from the nave by an open wall or chancel screen.

The largest and most ornately designed stave church in Norway is Borgund church. This consists of a nave and a narrow chancel, but in addition the chancel has a semicircular extension, or apse, at the east end. However, the distinguishing characteristic of this type is that the central part of the nave is higher than the aisles. The latter must not be confused with the external galleries which surround the entire church. External galleries were common in all types of stave churches, and are, therefore, not characteristic of any particular type. The higher section of the nave is supported by free-standing posts, spaced about two metres apart and placed approximately one metre inside the outer walls. These separate the aisles from the central nave. Some of the stave churches have only one free-standing post, placed in the middle of the nave and reaching right up to the roof. These central-mast churches resemble most closely the churches of a simple type with a nave and a narrower chancel, but their system of construction is more complex.

The stave churches are constructions of high quality, richly decorated with carvings. In virtually all of them the door frames are decorated from top to bottom with carvings. This tradition of rich ornamentation appears to go back to the animal carvings of the Viking age. The dragons are lovingly executed and transformed into long-limbed creatures of fantasy, here and there entwined with tendrils of vine, with winding stems and serrated leaves. The elaborate designs are executed with supreme artistic skill. The stave church doorways are, therefore, among the most distinctive works of art to be found in Norway.

The interiors of the stave churches are dark. The only original sources of light were small round openings high up under the roof, which shed a meagre light on the lofty room. Nevertheless, the wood carvers made some embellishment in the interior. In some of the churches the posts are equipped with capitals, giving associations with the contemporary Romanesque stone churches. The obvious wish was to decorate the stave churches in the same way as the best known stone churches of the day. The basic construction of the stave churches - 80 intimately linked to the properties of wood - has, however, been preserved intact.

Central mast churches
The suggested reconstruction of Nes church in Hallingdal, which was pulled down in 1864, shows that it was a stave church of distinctive construction. A mast in the centre of the nave carries the turret, and forms the main bearing element of the framework. Uvdal stave church in Numedal is one of the few surviving churches of this type. This photograph of the interior, looking towards the chancel, shows the central mast with braces supporting the cross beams. The walls and ceiling have lavishly painted decoration from the 1650s, with arcading below, and vine scrolls, fruit and flowers above, separated by a band of Biblical text.

The stave church doorways
The craftsmen who built the stave churches did not consist only of skilled carpenters. Among them were also wood carvers, who decorated the doorways with carvings which surpass in artistry all that has subsequently been executed.

Borgund stave church
Borgund church is one of largest and most ornate stave churches in Norway. The high central room of the nave is supported by free-standing posts which are braced internally and against the lower side aisles. An external gallery runs round the church, receiving its light from a low arcading. In front of each door the gallery is pierced by an arched opening giving access to the churchyard. The roof rises in three stages, and the roof ridge of the middle section is crowned by a turret, which also has a three- tiered roof. The church bells hang in a free-standing belfry on the south side of the churchyard. The larger stave churches were built along the same lines as Borgund, and 15 of them remain intact. However, many have been expanded and altered in the course of time. Borgund, however, remains much as it was when it was first built about 800 years ago.

Haltdalen stave church
Most of the Norwegian stave churches were small, simple buildings with a short nave and a narrow chancel. The roofing was usually wooden shingles, and both the roof and the walls were tarred. Internally the rooms extended right up to the ridge of the roof. As the churches were small they could not accommodate the growing congregations, particularly after seating was introduced. Most of the stave churches of this type were demolished, or extended and rebuilt. Haltdalen church has been moved from its site to the Trøndelag Folk Museum at Sverresborg, near Trondheim, where it has been restored to its original appearance.

Lom stave church in Gudbrandsdal
Lom church in Gudbrandsdal, dating from around 1200, is of the same type as Borgund stave church, but is somewhat larger. It has been extended at the west end, and transepts and roof turrets were added in the seventeenth century. The roof and walls are tarred, forming a sombre contrast to the surrounding green hillsides. The interior is sparsely lit by three small circular openings under the roof. Lom church is still in regular use. It has a beautiful interior, partly decorated with multicoloured carvings native to the valley.

Reinli stave church
At the 13th century Reinli church in Valdres, an apse has been added to the east gable, and galleries built around the whole edifice. Originally the church was a small long church with nave and chancel of equal width under a high pitched roof. An octagonal slender spire or flèche adorned the centre of the roof. The bells of the church now hang in a belfry which forms the gateway of the churchyard. The nave and chancel were divided by a screen with a narrow opening. This was pulled down when alterations were made around the year 1700. An early triptych has been converted into a reredos. The twelve consecration crosses painted on the walls of the church have all survived.

Urnes stave church
Urnes stave church in Sogn, built around the second half of the twelfth century, contains a 100 year older church doorway. A four-legged animal beset by dragons, i8 the main motif on the jambs. On the curved upper part dragons engage in battle. Serpents and dragons entwine in writhing figures-of-eight, forming the basic element in the impressive and delicately executed composition, with its roots in Viking art.

Ål stave church
When ÅI church in Hallingdal was originally built, in the latter part of the 12th century, it had an exceptionally fine main door. The Urnes dragons intertwine with long-stemmed foliage of leave~ and flowers. The jambs are formed as columns decorated with an intricate pattern of interweaving foliage, and on the capitals sinuous lions observe the churchgoers with watchful eyes. Traces of colour reveal that the doorway was once gaily painted. When the church was pulled down in 1880, the doorway was taken to the University Museum of National Antiquities in Oslo.

Links
Stave church symbolism
Heddal stave church
Medieval Scandinavia