Stave Church - History

History

Stave churches were once common in Northern Europe. In Norway alone, it is believed about 1000 were built; recent research has adjusted this number upwards and it is now believed there may have been closer to 2000. It is unknown how many stave churches were constructed in Iceland and in other countries in Europe.

Some believe they were the first type of church to be constructed in Scandinavia; however, the post churches are an older type, although the difference between the two is very small. A stave church has a lower construction set on a frame, whereas a post church has earth-bound posts.

In Sweden, the stave churches were considered obsolete in the Middle Ages and were replaced. In Norway, they were not replaced as quickly and many survived until the 19th century, when a substantial number were destroyed.

In Norway, 28 historical stave churches remain standing. There are also a number of places where archaeological surveys have uncovered older post churches. There are also some newer stave churches at various locations.

In Denmark, traces of post churches have been found at several locations, and there are also parts still in existence from some of them. A plank of one such church was found in Jutland. The plank is now on display at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen and an attempt at reconstructing the church is a featured display at the Moesgård Museum near Aarhus. Marks created by several old post churches have also been found at the old stone church in Jelling.

In Sweden there is a medieval stave church, the Hedared stave church constructed c. 1500, at the same location as a previous older stave church. Other notable places are Maria Minor church in Lund, with its traces of a post church with palisades, and some old parts of Hemse stave church on Gotland. In Skåne alone there were around 300 churches when Adam of Bremen visited Denmark in the first half of the 11th century, but how many of those were stave churches or post churches is unknown.

In England, there is one much debated church of Saxon origin, and the debate is whether this is a stave church or predates stave churches. This is the Greensted Church in Essex. General consensus is to categorize it as Saxon . There is also another church in England which bears similarities to stave churches, the medieval stone church of St. Mary in Kilpeck in Herefordshire. This church features a number of dragon heads.

In Germany, there is one stone church with a motif depicting a dragon similar to those often seen on Norwegian stave churches, and on a remaining artifact from Denmark and also from Gotland. Whether this decoration can be attributed to cultural similarities or whether it indicates similar construction methods in Germany has sparked much controversy.

There is some folklore suggesting that the stave churches were built upon old indigenous Norse worship sites. Only at one location does it seem possible to trace a connection, at Mære church in Norway. At one corner of the churchyard remnants of another building have been found, and that building could be connected to Norse paganism. In other cases there is evidence of much older churches built on the same ground; often the stones are still left in the holes created by the posts of an older post church, and under Urnes stave church there have even been discovered remains of two such earlier post churches. The old portal from one of these churches is believed to be the one built into the northern wall of the current church. Thus, newer research on the stave churches suggests that Christianity was introduced into Norway much earlier than was previously assumed.