Flesberg stavkirke is the first of four stave churches along the Numedal valley. The valley calls itself Middelalerdalen, the Medieval Valley, and the claim is solid: of the roughly 200 timber buildings from before 1537 preserved in all of Norway, 44 are here in Numedal. Twenty-two of those predate the Black Death of 1349. The plague killed an estimated 60 percent of Norway's population, and in a remote valley like this, abandoned farms and storehouses were simply left standing. No one needed them, so no one tore them down.
Flesberg is the southernmost church, dating from around 1200, though the first written mention is from 1359. The original was a single-nave structure with free-standing internal posts and a semicircular apse. In 1735, the church was dramatically altered: the chancel and apse removed, the nave extended eastward, and two log-built transepts added to create a cruciform plan.
One charming detail is the churchyard fence, built from local slate, with iron rings for tethering horses during services. Each farming family had their own designated ring. The oldest dated ring is from 1661.
Unlike the other Numedal stave churches, Flesberg is still a parish church in active use, owned by the Church of Norway rather than the National Trust. It is typically open to visitors from late June to early August, and admission is around 35 kroner. Three more stave churches follow further up the valley: Rollag, Nore, and Uvdal.
Flesberg is the southernmost church, dating from around 1200, though the first written mention is from 1359. The original was a single-nave structure with free-standing internal posts and a semicircular apse. In 1735, the church was dramatically altered: the chancel and apse removed, the nave extended eastward, and two log-built transepts added to create a cruciform plan.
One charming detail is the churchyard fence, built from local slate, with iron rings for tethering horses during services. Each farming family had their own designated ring. The oldest dated ring is from 1661.
Unlike the other Numedal stave churches, Flesberg is still a parish church in active use, owned by the Church of Norway rather than the National Trust. It is typically open to visitors from late June to early August, and admission is around 35 kroner. Three more stave churches follow further up the valley: Rollag, Nore, and Uvdal.