Norway 2024, part 7 (Borgund)
The village of Borgund is located at an altitude of about 400 m, along the Lærdalselvi River, surrounded by high mountains. It is small and remote enough that, despite the beautiful nature surrounding it, it would not attract anyone other than its few residents and their friends and relatives. However, there is an exceptionally beautiful and significant wooden church in Borgund (Borgund Stave Church) and it is one of the must-visit places for anyone wanting to explore the interior of Norway.
Here is a map showing where this church is located and the routes I took during my trip to Norway, which included a couple of days in Oslo (on foot) and extensive travel through the southern parts of the country (by rented car).
I have already mentioned before the group of rare medieval wooden churches known as Stavkirke or Stavkyrke, which means "stave church" (where stave is the word for wooden supporting posts). These churches were built throughout Northern Europe during the Middle Ages, some of the oldest being around 800 years old, but they are now mostly found in Norway.
It is believed that these churches were constructed by groups of travelling and highly skilled craftsmen specialised in extremely challenging building projects. They clearly understood the possibilities and limitations of working with wood. The wood was worked with a small number of simple tools, but using the best materials available, which allowed these wooden churches to withstand centuries of weather – rain, snow, ice, wind and sun.
These churches were built over a period of about 200 years – primarily from the first half of the 12th century until 1349, when the infamous medieval plague, known as the Black Death, reached Norway. It is estimated that nearly two-thirds of the population in Norway died of the plague within two years, leading to the decline of the once-independent state, which then became a Danish province for the next 400 years. On the other hand, this also halted the tradition of building wooden churches.
Once, there were over 1,000 of these churches, but they gradually disappeared for various reasons. On the one hand, they were relatively small. A significant problem arose when the population began to grow, while by the mid-19th century, a law was enacted requiring that churches had to be large enough to accommodate at least 30% of the local population. On the other hand, they were also quite dark and very cold, so people were happy to build more modern churches that wouldn’t have these issues. Between 1851 and 1890, many old wooden churches were either demolished or sold. The large wooden logs were often repurposed for building other structures, but fortunately, some were preserved. One was even sold at auction, sent to Berlin, and eventually ended up in Karpacz, Poland – it is the Vang Stave Church!
Today, there are 28 of these preserved churches in Norway and we can thank the fact that they were usually located in villages that could not afford to build a new church. Most of them are quite simple in both construction and decoration, but some have highly elaborate forms and intricate decorations, usually in the form of wood carvings.
Moreover, most of these 28 churches have been reconstructed or extended, with only a small part of the original structure surviving, so they have somewhat lost their “true” stave church appearance. However, the Borgund Stave Church has survived the centuries in the best possible way, without any major alterations.
A significant issue when visiting these churches today is that they are only open "seasonally." As far as I understand, in order to preserve them, they are not heated and during the winter, they are too cold to be open. Therefore, they are closed for most of the year and only open to visitors during the summer. From early May, almost all of these churches are open, but in late April, when I was travelling, only few were open. One of them is the Borgund Stave Church. However, it also has its own "hours of operation," meaning it was open until 5 p.m., which was the main reason I was rushing after picking up the car at the Oslo airport. Fortunately, I managed to visit a significant site on my way and often stopped briefly to take photos of the landscapes I was passing through, so I didn’t feel like I missed anything and still arrived on time – though about 40 minutes before closing.
I left the car in the parking lot near the Visitor Centre, where tickets are purchased, and from there, I started off with a wonderful, courteous young man who was my guide. At that moment, I was the only visitor, which perhaps made the whole experience even more sublime.
I should mention that this young man told me many details, but I was so excited to have made it there that I ended up feeling like I remembered nothing. On the other hand, I don’t think extensive detailing on my part would be appropriate.
In any case, we first went to the wooden bell tower.
The bell tower in question is a free-standing wooden structure built using the same technique as the church – based on the use of main supporting posts. The tower was most likely erected in the mid-13th century and is the only remaining free-standing wooden bell tower in Norway constructed with the staves. To protect the structure, wooden cladding was added to the exterior walls at the end of the 20th century. Naturally, I had to peek inside as well.
As for the Borgund Stave Church, it is surrounded by a local cemetery, but irrespective of that, it is absolutely enchanting.
I observed and photographed it carefully and attentively, both with my camera and my mobile phone, and listened to my guide’s story about the church. In the end, I also felt like I hadn't seen or examined anything thoroughly enough. However, I think that’s just a trick of my mind. Based on the number of photos that follow, which are only a fraction of what I captured (and certainly saw), I believe I explored this beautiful church quite well.
The construction of the church began at the end of the 12th century, in 1180, when Christianity in Norway was still in its early stages. While churches across the rest of Europe were primarily built of stone (and there are some stone churches here as well), in the rural areas of Norway, wood was the main material. This is also evident in the houses where people lived or used on their farms.
Skilled builders erected these churches by incorporating some details taken from examples of stone buildings in Europe and combining them with their local traditions and motifs.
These traditional elements include, among other things, shingle roofs and dragon heads that "peek out" from the ends of the roof ridges.
Stave churches were usually built on sites where previous wooden churches had stood in which the load-bearing posts were set directly into the ground. When these posts began to rot, the entire church had to be demolished. To address this problem, people started constructing massive wooden frames elevated above the ground and placed on stone foundations. Such structures could last significantly longer. An example of this construction method can be clearly seen in a photograph of a house that I took at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. (see: https://www.svudapodji.com/en/norway-2/). The Borgund Stave Church is also set on such a frame, though it isn’t clearly visible. In any case, the foundation is definitely made of stone, which also explains the longevity of this church and other wooden churches. Since the wood is not in direct contact with the ground, it does not rot.
Another detail explaining the longevity of the Borgund Stave Church is the fact that the exterior of the church is covered with a protective layer of tar obtained from pine trees, which is why the church has its dark colour.
Now I was ready to go inside, but first, it was important to pay attention to the entrance doors.
The main door on the western side of the church features a richly decorated frame with floral motifs, serpents and creatures resembling dragons. The door itself also has interesting elements, such as decorative metal parts.
Regarding the frame, the guide had a flashlight with him and occasionally illuminated the parts he was discussing. In some of the following photographs, a skilled and trained eye can discern the aforementioned serpents and dragons. Even without delving into such details, it is clear that this is the work of master carvers of the highest calibre.
Then the time came to enter the church.
However, let me first mention one more thing about the doors and their metal parts.
At the time when these churches were built, wood was abundant and there was certainly plenty of stone, as well. What was relatively rare was metal. I have read that the size of these decorative metal elements on the doors, such as the door knocker and keyhole cover, was an indicator of the financial status of those who commissioned the building.
The interior of the church is, of course, entirely made of wood.
When you look at the roof above the nave from inside the church, it resembles an upside-down Viking ship with ribs. This is not surprising. People here have long known how to build using wood, as evidenced by the surviving Viking ships. The Vikings were not accidentally able to sail across the Atlantic and their skill in constructing sturdy and reliable ships was naturally transferred to the construction of churches.
This type of building is named stave church after the tall main posts that form the framework of the central space, connected by crossbeams. The semicircular arches are made from strong, naturally curved sections of wood between the trunk and the roots.
In the previous image, in the lower row, behind the arches to the left and right of the centre, you can see some sort of "faces." These are decorations crafted at the top of each pilaster – one is anthropomorphic, while the other depicts the head of a cat.
Decorations at the tops can also be seen on the staves or the load-bearing wooden columns. This can be observed in the next photograph, which shows the side of the nave of the church.
In the previous photograph, you can also see small openings that allowed light inside, but this wouldn’t be enough to notice many details. The top of the photograph is illuminated by the flashlight of my guide and there is some light coming from the window above the front doors on the right. The arch at the bottom of the image is lit by the fact that the side, southern door was open. Here is this southern door in the next photo:
And here is the front door seen from the inside, along with the window above it.
The open doors certainly provided some light to see details like the church floor better. The floor of the medieval church was set on the wooden frame and much of it has survived. However, over time, a new floor was laid over it to protect the original one.
In the past, it was common practice to bury the dead beneath the church floor, but this practice was banned at the beginning of the 19th century, partly due to the unpleasant odours emanating from it. However, I find it interesting that later I read that stillborn babies and infants who died before being baptised were still buried under the church floor, in small coffins, even in more recent times. The main reason for this was that it was not permitted for unbaptised individuals to be buried in the churchyard or local cemetery.
But to return to lighter topics – such as the beautifully illuminated elements with charming diagonal cross-bracing, known as Saint Andrew's Cross. By the way, this type of cross is named after Saint Andrew, who was crucified on an X-shaped cross. It is essentially a Greek cross rotated 45 degrees. It seems that light and darkness are inextricably intertwined in life.
Now I’ll take a closer look at the chancel area, specifically the apse, which can only be approached slightly.
To start with, in front of the apse on the right-hand side, there is a pulpit from the period 1550-1570. It was installed here after Protestantism spread across Norway. During the time of Catholicism (before 1537), there was no pulpit.
Behind the pulpit is the pilaster with the cat head at the top. Here it is again:
Now I’ve finally turned my attention to the altar area. At the front is the chancel and behind it is the semicircular apse.
In the middle of the chancel, at the bottom, is a medieval stone altar with an altarpiece from 1654 depicting Christ’s crucifixion.
To the left of the altar, on the wall, is a cupboard from 1550-1570 used for storing liturgical items.
However, the most interesting detail visible in the previous photo is a small opening in the wall on the right-hand side. This is a type of small window, which is believed to have been installed so that people could pray even when the church was closed.
In the following photographs, the altar area is still visible, with a focus on some details. In the picture where the altar is illuminated by my guide’s flashlight, you can clearly see the prayer window on the right side and the door that provides direct access to the chancel.
And one more detail from the interior of the church. It is believed that in the past there were also artistic church details here, such as painted sculptures and biblical scenes or scenes related to the life of Saint Olaf. Today, these are no longer present, except that my guide pointed out and illuminated a part of the wall where some painted ornaments can still be seen.
Now I made a circle around the church by following the external gallery that extends around the nave, but all of this constitutes a unified structure. It is some sort of ambulatory the function of which is to protect the outer walls of the church and the doorways, and it also provides shelter for people during inclement weather.
Besides the entrance on the western side, I have also mentioned the southern entrance, which is also decorated, though less elaborately than the main entrance.
Nevertheless, there is a particularly interesting detail here: the animal heads located at the bottom of the side posts that adorn the entrance.
I walked around the ambulatory once more, then entered the church and captured that experience in a video-format. Afterwards, I exited the church and admired it again, both in its entirety and in some of its details.
Then I climbed a bit up the hill to continue admiring this architectural masterpiece from a higher vantage point. I was absolutely thrilled and filled with satisfaction, which is evident in the selfies I took here.
I also took a panoramic photo that shows both the Borgund Stave Church and its bell tower. On the right-hand side of the image, you can also see a portion of the new church in Borgund, which was built in 1868. I didn't go there in the end.
As I finished with the photography, a few more visitors arrived, and my guide stayed with them. Fortunately, we had previously discussed my plans for the next day and I mentioned that I wanted to visit the Urnes Stave Church. Since this involved taking a ferry, he provided me with excellent information that proved very helpful the next day.
I then headed slowly to the Visitor Centre, where there is also a small, charming museum and where my car was parked.
And yet, I still frequently looked back and it was almost difficult for me to tear myself away from such beauty.
After visiting the museum, I got into the car and, feeling extremely pleased, continued my journey through Norway.