Torpo is home to the oldest building in all of Hallingdal. The stave church here dates from around 1160, making it nearly 900 years old.
Finding it can be a bit confusing. The church is hidden behind the modern parish church from 1880, so don't give up if you only see a regular wooden church at first. The car park is on the opposite side of the road.
Torpo is the only original medieval stave church still standing in Hallingdal. The valley once had seven of them. The others were either demolished or, like the Gol church, moved elsewhere. This one nearly met the same fate. In 1880 the chancel was torn down and the rest was scheduled for demolition. Fortidsminneforeningen stepped in and bought the nave for 280 kroner, saving what remained.
What makes Torpo special is inside. Above the eastern part of the nave hangs a decorated baldachin, a curved wooden canopy painted in the 1200s. It depicts Christ surrounded by the apostles, along with the legend of St Margaret's martyrdom. The colours remain remarkably vivid after 800 years. This is some of the oldest painted decoration preserved in Norway.
A runic inscription in the church tells us the builder's name: Torolf. He and nine other named craftsmen constructed it. Torolf likely also built the now-demolished stave church in Ål, where a similar inscription was found.
In the Middle Ages, Torpo was actually more important than Ål. It served as the main church for a parish covering both Ål and Hemsedal, and was the seat of the local provost. Only after the Reformation did it become an annex to Ål.
The church is open daily from June through August. Entry is 130 kroner, children free.