Nore stavkyrkje dates from around 1167 based on dendrochronological dating of the timber. It is architecturally unique: built from the start as a cruciform church with galleries, chancel, and cross naves with apses. No known model for this design exists anywhere in Norway or Europe. Someone here was experimenting.
Walking inside is like stepping into a paintbox. Not a single surface is left undecorated. Two rounds of painting cover the walls: one from around 1650 and another from the 1730s. The later transept decoration features Biblical text rebuses surrounded by leaves and flowers. A canopy hangs over the altar, and the Last Supper altarpiece was probably painted in 1704.
Medieval traces survive beneath the paint. A 13th-century crucifix, defaced at some point, still hangs inside. The baptismal font is medieval. Two runic inscriptions remain; one is a prayer that reads "Grant me all that is good." The western portal is elaborately carved with vines, dragons, and lions in a style similar to portals found in Telemark.
The church has been owned by the National Trust of Norway since 1890. It is open daily from mid-June to early August, 10:00 to 18:00. Admission is 130 kroner for adults; children are free.
Walking inside is like stepping into a paintbox. Not a single surface is left undecorated. Two rounds of painting cover the walls: one from around 1650 and another from the 1730s. The later transept decoration features Biblical text rebuses surrounded by leaves and flowers. A canopy hangs over the altar, and the Last Supper altarpiece was probably painted in 1704.
Medieval traces survive beneath the paint. A 13th-century crucifix, defaced at some point, still hangs inside. The baptismal font is medieval. Two runic inscriptions remain; one is a prayer that reads "Grant me all that is good." The western portal is elaborately carved with vines, dragons, and lions in a style similar to portals found in Telemark.
The church has been owned by the National Trust of Norway since 1890. It is open daily from mid-June to early August, 10:00 to 18:00. Admission is 130 kroner for adults; children are free.