Hopperstad Stave Church ( no, Hopperstad stavkyrkje) is a historic

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of the Church of Norway in the village of

Vikøyri Vikøyri is the administrative center of the municipality of Vik in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located at the mouth of the Vikja river on the south shore of the Sognefjorden, roughly near the midpoint of Norway's longest fjord. The ...

Vik Municipality Vik (Old Norse: vík) means wick or bay in Norwegian and Swedish (''vig'' in Danish), and it may refer to the following: Places Iceland * Vík í Mýrdal, a village in southern Iceland Iran * Vik, Iran, a village in Zanjan Province, Iran Norway ...

Vestland Vestland is a county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Bergen, where t ...

county. It was historically the church for the Hopperstad

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The church is currently owned by the

Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments ( no, Fortidsminneforeningen) is an organization focused on conservation preservation in Norway. The Society was founded in 1844. The founders were painters, historians, art historians ...

. The brown, wooden

stave church A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the building's structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts ar ...

was built during the 12th century. The church seats about 30 people. The stave church is assumed to have been built around the year 1130 and still stands at its original location. The church is one of the oldest stave churches still standing in Norway. The church is currently owned by the

. There is a replica of the Hopperstad Stave Church at the Heritage Hjemkomst Center in the city of Moorhead in the state of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It was consecrated in 1998. The replica church is part of a larger complex that includes a museum and Scandinavian heritage center.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1322, but the church was not new that year. The first church at Hopperstad was likely a small, wooden

that was built during the mid-11th century, possibly around the year 1060. This church was torn down and replaced with the present church during the early- to mid-12th century, possibly between the years 1130 and 1150. In 1982, archaeological evidence was found showing post holes for the large staves that support the idea of a previous church on the site. Again in 1997, a series of samples from the logs were collected for

dendrochronological Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmos ...

dating of the church. A total of seven samples produced an estimate for the construction ranging from 1034 to 1116 and resulted in no definite conclusion in the age of the church, however, this supports the idea that the materials from the old church were used in the construction of the present church. No records exist as to what the medieval church actually looked like. There are a variety of sketches showing a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

. The church did not undergo any major changes until the 1600s. At that time the nave was lengthened to the west, and a bell-tower was added above the new extension. To the east, a new section was added and built out of logs. A new vestibule to the south with its own entrance was also added. In 1723, the church was sold into private ownership at the

Norwegian church auction The Norwegian church sale ( no, kirkesalget) was a comprehensive and systematic sale of most of the church properties in Norway during the 1720s. The purpose of this sale was the intention of improving the poor public finances in the Kingdom of Denm ...

so the King could pay off debts from the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...

. The largest addition to the church came to the north with a log construction. This new part was named the "new church" (). The construction was finished during the 1700s (this area was torn down in around 1875). There are no known images of the interior from this time, but a story written by the priest Niels Dahl, who is assumed to have visited the church in 1824, describes the interior: In 1814, this church served as an

election church An election church ( no, valgkirke) is a term used for approximately 300 churches in Norway that were used as polling stations during the elections to the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll in 1814. This was Norway's first national election ...

( no, valgkirke). Together with more than 300 other parish churches across Norway, it was a polling station for elections to the 1814

Norwegian Constituent Assembly The Norwegian Constituent Assembly (in Norwegian ''Grunnlovsforsamlingen'', also known as ''Riksforsamlingen'') is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway, that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised t ...

which wrote the Constitution of Norway. This was Norway's first national elections. Each

church parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

was a constituency that elected people called "electors" who later met together in each county to elect the representatives for the assembly that was to meet in

Eidsvoll Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet. General information ...

later that year. In the 1870s, the two neighboring

Hove Church Hove Church ( no, Hove kyrkje) is a historic parish church of the Church of Norway in Vik Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Vikøyri on the Arnafjord, an arm of the Sognefjord. It was historically the main ch ...

and Hopperstad Stave Church parishes were both in need of new churches. The issue was first raised by the local parish priest Jørgen Christian Andreas Grøner who complained about the size of the two churches. Both churches were old and small and due to their age, they were in dire need of improvements. The local villagers believed he was exaggerating and the private owners of the church did not want to spend money on the churches. Soon after, the local priest decided to no longer hold services at the Hopperstad Stave Church since it was so cold and drafty. Within a short period of time, it was decided to merge the two neighboring parishes into one larger parish. On 11 December 1875, a royal decree was issued that ordered the closure of both churches and the construction of a new church in

for the newly created parish. In 1877, the new

Vik Church Vik Church ( no, Vik kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Vik Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Vikøyri. It is the church for the Vik parish which is part of the Sogn prosti (deanery) in th ...

was constructed and the two older churches were taken out of regular use and preserved as historical sites. In 1877, after about 700 years in use, the old church was abandoned. The church had been in very poor condition for many years and three years after its closure, the

purchased the building in 1880. All of the "new" additions were torn down, leaving just the medieval building still standing. Using the Borgund Stave Church as a model, architect

Peter Andreas Blix Peter Andreas Blix (4 November 1831 – 31 January 1901) was a Norwegian architect and engineer best known for designing railway stations and villas in Swiss chalet style. He was also occupied with the conservation of Norwegian stave churches and ...

reconstructed the church between 1884 and 1891. During the reconstruction, carved sections were found beneath the floor which indicated that the new church replaced an older church, which was probably built in the latter half of the 11th century. During the reconstruction, the

and

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

were left alone and the

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

, corridors, and roof were all rebuilt. All of the newly rebuilt areas were based on similar existing

es such as the Borgund Stave Church and the Urnes Stave Church. Since its completion in 1891, the church has been used primarily as a museum, although the parish will still use the church for special occasions.

Present building

The church is a triple-nave stave church of what is known as the Borgund-type. It has three portals, and the western portal is an excellent example of Middle Age wood carving. The motifs are of a romance character, often associated with European influence. The

is a raised central room with an aisle around it, and the

apsidal In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

and narrower than the nave. The church contains an altar dedicated to the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

, and 14th-century ciborium with a

baldachin A baldachin, or baldaquin (from it, baldacchino), is a canopy of state typically placed over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent architectural feature, particularly over hi ...

on the north side. The ciborium has four sculptured heads, that of

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

with a

halo Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...

, a queen, a king, and a monk. The roof of the baldachin bears a painting of the birth of Christ.

Media gallery

Hopperstad stavkirke, 2016-3.jpg, Main entrance Hopperstad stavkirke, 2016-1.jpg, Church exterior (2016) Hopperstad Stave church.jpg, View from the east EgliseBoisDeboutNorvege3.jpg, Hopperstad stave church Hopperstad drawing.jpg, Drawing of Hopperstad stave church from 1878 Hopperstad stavkirke, Hoprekstad stavkirke, Sogn og Fjordane - Riksantikvaren-T291 01 0012.jpg, Hopperstad in 1885 before restoration work Hopperstad stavkirke, Hoprekstad stavkirke, Sogn og Fjordane - Riksantikvaren-T291 01 0013.jpg, View of the church during the restoration work Hopperstad old.jpeg, The church after the restoration Hopperstad_dragon.jpg, Dragon head Hopperstad portal.jpg, Portal Stave church Hopperstad posts constructure.jpg, View of interior with cimborium Stave church Hopperstad baldachin heads.jpg, Heads of baldachin in stave church Hopperstad Stave church Hopperstad, baldachin roof paintings.jpg, Roof paintings of the baldachin in the stave church Hopperstad HopperstadAquarel.jpg, Aquarel from Hopeprstad stave church by Peter Andrias Blix, painted in 1882 Madonna from Vik.jpg, Virgin Mary with the Child (formerly in the Hopperstad Stave Church, now in a museum)

References

External links

Hopperstad stave church at stavkirke.info

Hopperstad stave church at Fortidsminneforeningen

Fortidsminneforeninga's stave church pages
{{use dmy dates, date=October 2021 Vik Churches in Vestland Stave churches in Norway Long churches in Norway Wooden churches in Norway Culture in Sogn og Fjordane 12th-century churches in Norway Churches completed in 1130 11th-century establishments in Norway Buildings and structures owned by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments Norwegian election church

History

Present building

Media gallery

See also

References

External links