The Fantoft stave church was originally built around 1150 in Fortun, a village by Sognefjorden. In 1879 a modern church replaced it and the stave church was headed for demolition, like hundreds of others across Norway. Consul Fredrik Georg Gade bought it, had it dismantled, and moved it piece by piece to Fana near Bergen in 1883.
On 6 June 1992, the church burned to the ground. It was the first in a wave of arson attacks on Norwegian churches linked to the Black Metal scene, which ultimately destroyed or damaged over twenty churches. Varg Vikernes of the band Burzum was a prime suspect but was acquitted for this particular fire, though convicted of burning four others.
The decision to rebuild was immediate, but the challenge was enormous. Nobody had built a stave church in centuries, and most parts had to be hand-crafted on site using old surveys and drawings. The reconstruction was completed in 1997. The original medieval crucifix survived the fire and hangs inside.
What you see today is a faithful copy, not a medieval original. Whether that makes it worth visiting depends on your expectations. It is a well-made reconstruction in a quiet setting, about 6 kilometres south of the city centre.
On 6 June 1992, the church burned to the ground. It was the first in a wave of arson attacks on Norwegian churches linked to the Black Metal scene, which ultimately destroyed or damaged over twenty churches. Varg Vikernes of the band Burzum was a prime suspect but was acquitted for this particular fire, though convicted of burning four others.
The decision to rebuild was immediate, but the challenge was enormous. Nobody had built a stave church in centuries, and most parts had to be hand-crafted on site using old surveys and drawings. The reconstruction was completed in 1997. The original medieval crucifix survived the fire and hangs inside.
What you see today is a faithful copy, not a medieval original. Whether that makes it worth visiting depends on your expectations. It is a well-made reconstruction in a quiet setting, about 6 kilometres south of the city centre.