Flesberg stave church (Flesberg stavkirke) is a stave church located in Flesberg, Numedal in Norway. It was probably built around 1200. The first written reference to the church is from 1359. The church was originally a single nave church (type B) with four free-standing internal posts bearing a raised central roof, surrounded by an ambulatory or aisles on all four sides. It had a narrower chancel, also with a raised central roof, and a semicircular apse. It was surrounded by a gallery loosely connected to the plank walls.
In 1735, the chancel and apse as well as the east wall of the nave were removed. The nave was extended eastwards and two transepts were added, making a cruciform plan. The additions were built in horizontal log construction with notched corners. Of the original stave church only three outer walls survived, as the internal posts and the raised roof were eliminated.
The church yard is fenced with big slates brought from Haukeli farm (on the Lågen west bank) during winter seasons. Some slates have iron rings affixed, these rings were used for tying horses during service - each farmer had a designated ring for his horse (the oldest dated ring from 1661). The idiosyncratic stone fence is shown on a 1701 painting (the oldest existing painting of a stave church).
Read more about Flesberg Stave Church: Gallery
Famous quotes containing the words stave and/or church:
“Come a stove boat and a stove body when they will, for stave my soul, Jove himself cannot.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)
“This is what the Church is said to want, not party men, but sensible, temperate, sober, well-judging persons, to guide it through the channel of no-meaning, between the Scylla and Charybdis of Aye and No.”
—Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801–1890)