Lom stavkyrkje was built around 1158 and is one of Norway's largest stave churches. Unlike most medieval wooden churches that were torn down when congregations outgrew them, Lom's church was expanded instead. In 1634 the building received two transepts and a tower, turning it from a simple long-church into the cruciform shape it has today. That decision to keep building on rather than starting over is why so much medieval fabric survives.
The interior holds carved dragon heads and woodwork from the original 12th-century construction, alongside 17th-century rose paintings that were added after the expansion. A runic inscription on one of the staves is among the medieval traces still visible. The church retains its original stave construction at the core, with the later timber additions blending remarkably well.
Lom stavkyrkje is still the main parish church in Lom and holds regular services, making it one of the oldest buildings in Norway in continuous use for its original purpose. It sits right in the centre of Fossbergom, across the river Bøvra from the famous Lom Bakery, with the waterfall Prestfossen thundering just below the bridge.
The interior holds carved dragon heads and woodwork from the original 12th-century construction, alongside 17th-century rose paintings that were added after the expansion. A runic inscription on one of the staves is among the medieval traces still visible. The church retains its original stave construction at the core, with the later timber additions blending remarkably well.
Lom stavkyrkje is still the main parish church in Lom and holds regular services, making it one of the oldest buildings in Norway in continuous use for its original purpose. It sits right in the centre of Fossbergom, across the river Bøvra from the famous Lom Bakery, with the waterfall Prestfossen thundering just below the bridge.
