Its so nice to see Norway taking such great care to preserve their past. Its the tombstones that drew my eye, because when we travel we always look for the oldest cemeteries, because we like to do tombstone rubbings, using linen cloth and a crayon. Did you spend any time looking at the tombstones? If so, did any catch your eye?
You mean not using tax money properly letting these things literally rot away, just like the 252 other stave churches that are gone? I may be exaggerating, but i can assure you that most Norwegians could not care less about preserving their past. Norway was built upon agriculture and fishing, and most politicians and people trash this part of history. Most of Norways history was made after the rule of Danmark after years of poverty. And those buildings from the time leading up to and around independence are NOT taken care of, and are demolished regularly
@Alexandra McLean It's the artistic elements of the language and images on the stones that speak to the era they were done in. An above ground archaeology dig.
Ha, I worked several years as a guide at that church. It's quite wonderful finding a good video on it! Joakim did a pretty good job of giving you guys an overview as well :)
If they didn't use a single nail on this church. Then can you pliz tell me what is holding it up? I'm curious. Scrolling for answers but no luck finding any.
amazing, just so neat. I'm glad the young man is so in tuned to the history of the church. nice to see are younger generation learning more about the culture of the church history & on how it was built & what goes into the materials to keep it from wasting away. Like how they use the tare sealer on the church & it turns it black. Never seen that before. Thank you for the great content. Love watching your videos.
The transition from Heathen to Christian in Norway took some 300 years, and there was a period of "blending". (I say "Heathen" versus "Pagan" on purpose: "Pagan" is a Latin-root word that originated in the Mediterranean area. "Heathen" has it's origin in the north.) For example, one stave church has a carving of one eyed Odin on a rafter. Many stave churches have dragons on them, to ward of evil spirits just as they once did on pre-Christian viking ships. Stave churches in general are believed to resemble earlier Viking era longhouses in construction. A medieval tapestry from the Skog Church in Hälsingland, Sweden, shows a Christian church with worshippers inside under attack by mounted soldiers. Three figures standing on the left side of the tapestry, once thought to be Swedish king-saints, coming to protect the church building, are now known to represent the triad of Thor, Odin and Frey, based on things that they're holding. In response to an earlier comment about "paganists" burning centuries old stave churches, that's rubbish. They were burned by black metal music fans who fused their ideas of "Pagan" with a satanic twist. Modern day neo-Pagans do not burn churches, let alone those that are part of their collective heritage. One such Heathen reconstructionist group is Asatru, which is a legal and accepted religion in Scandinavia.
I would be interested to know what you would describe as "blending", because it was neither peaceful nor voluntary. Tyrants used Christianity to claim a divine right to rule from God, the first christian "king" Olaf Tryggvason used torture, arson, and execution to force people to convert. The norse mythological elements incorporated into the architecture are likely a result of craftsmen who were reluctantly forced into christian servitude.
@@dimuthbhanuka1027 he burnt Fantoft, It was built by norse catholics in the 12th century and stolen by protestants, probably around 16th century. Regardless, he tried to destroy the history of Norway in some way.
The upkeep of the tar and the dry climate is the main reason you can keep wood that long. The slow growing trees is a thing too but that is more to do with quality and hardness of the wood. Drying the tree from the roots is very interesting to me.
I've drawn and painted this church many times, (from only photos) so have spent hours "looking at it. Finding this video made my day. Thank you for the brilliant upload
CiaoBella I agree I've been thinking the same thing for a while and this although only 800 years old seems to be similar to more ancient architecture from this area and I wonder if Northern Europeans and East Asians had contact with each other
Wow, centuries old wood church, now that's awesome. Back then, the way the pioneers built cottages, barns and old log cabins lasted very long, not six centuries like that church but about a century. Great video as always, luv ur channel, great work. Thanks for sharing.
Tony R. More amazing is to know there are living trees that are more than twice as old as this church. Trees are amazing, which makes me appreciate this structure even more.
wow amazing story, just shows you how smart our ancestors were. the skills combined with quality products and know how could build something with such longevity and beauty. impressive. thank you for another informative and interesting video.
Another reason these wooden churches lasted so long was the tar like sap they used from the cut down trees that is/was used to paint the churches (their distinct colour as we see now; black) to keep water and moisture out of the wood to help prevent rot. Unfortunately the formula for this tar like paint (that last 8 to 10 years) was lost and had to use less effective formulas (that last 3 to 5 years) for reapplication over the centuries to help preserve the building.
God sees the one who serves not the one being served...!!So, serve n help as many as you can to praise God. May God shower his blessings on all the pastors, ministers, volunteers, praise n worshippers n everyone involved in service.. ..!! Hallelujah!! Praise Lord!! Amen!!...!!
I've been subscribed to your channel for a few years now and I love all of your videos! I really appreciate your hard work! A question: What has been your kids favourite place of all the places you've been?
Their memories are short so hard to say. They did like the coal huts we stayed in Sweden... anything with that much nature is hard for kids not to love.
The timber preparation technique he is reffering to is called ORE pine. You cut the limbs off of a pine tree and let let it sit for a few seasons until it dies. The result is a wood (from what I have been told by friends with more experiance) that is pretty much the same as impregnating with resin, but much slower
Nicely done. I was just in Norway and took the bus from Lillehammer to Flam, expecting to see the Borgund Stavkirk out the window for a few seconds at least but did not know the tunnel for the E16 by passed it completely... oops... Thanks for the close-up views and commentary!
dseed norway It amazes me how we can be completely oblivious to the beauty and history around us until a stranger looks at them with wonder and excitement. This church is amazing!
It remind me to Indonesia traditional mosque like Masjid agung demak and masijd agung banten with local architecture, this church are amazing. without roman or gothic influences
You should go to China and check out the Pagoda of Fogong Temple( Tower), which is 67meter high. It's completely made out of wood. It was started to build in year 1056.
Being that it was built by a Buddhist monk named Tian, and that Chinese culture had not yet been adulterated by the desert monotheistic religions, I'd have to go with, no.
He ia roghr about the timber beeing better back then, even back in 18th century, been renovating a couple of hoses built mid to late 18th century and some from early 19th century and most of the timber in those house are much stronger and more densley grown than any timber we get today. One logcabin I did some work on had logs not more than maybe 20-25 cm in diameter and still where 150-200 years old and a real workout trying to cut or lift. Love the old ways of building, it was done to last forever. Todays houses have no life of rheir own and are made to last just for a short period of time before needing extensive work. Houses that where built when my father was my age I renovate today and some houses, especially those made as modules, need a complete rework after just ten years...
6 ปีที่แล้ว
partly bad Wood and partly that houses today don't Breathe.
KennyG Hansen yeah true, many today want all that stupid plastic in the walls and roofs and floors and what not. It's pretty much laws about it to have it today but seriously that shit is a breeding ground for mold and rot. It's ridiculos to have dense materials in places where moist can gather. I've seen some horror examples of this where I have been forced to tear of the roofs of houses and rebuild them because of that frikkin plastic.
We have similliar Church here in Poland. It's called Wang Church and is located in Karpacz. It was brought from Norway to Lower Silesia by some german guy. However it's not as old as this one.
some of those roof shingles been protecting that church from the weather for several hundred years. I wonder what it would have seen and protected against.
69Phuket it is actually for practical reason. the high and steep roof makes snow slide of the roof. building that big with the times construction strength and shallow roof would have collapsed under the weight of the snow collecting on the roof. so the large floor area and necessary steep roof angle made the church high and pointy. it resembles the local candle spruced which grow narrow and high with steep downward pointed branches due to the weight of the snow.
I've been on the inside and the drawings are beautiful. There are also rune carvings as well depicting Biblical individuals, Christ, and specific stories. Some of the early Christians at the site kept their pagan traditions and historians believe for several hundred years they local blended their ancient beliefs with their modern Christian faith.
There is church like that, moved in half XIXth cent. from Norway to Karpacz in Poland and it is amazing. You should visit it also because in valley below (Jelenia Góra Valley) there is more palaces, castles and parks than in Loire Valley, UNESCO world Heritage site and almost unknown in the world.
No it's not "Catholic" church. More of a facade built upon a pagan worship temple and its symbols. Most likely erected right on top of an ancient European "pagan" burial mound or a sacred worship site that were there long before Christianity and desecrated as soon as it moved in.
thanks youtube , for interrupting an 800 year old church with an online gambling advertisement ??? Also, wish we could see a Christmas full church service inside.
A bit odd, you're right. He happened to be on that side of the fence while I was interviewing and joined us. He could have walked around, but we got started on the conversation and just didn't stop. Definitely one of the oddest interviewing positions I've filmed, but when the conversation is good... :)
Its so nice to see Norway taking such great care to preserve their past. Its the tombstones that drew my eye, because when we travel we always look for the oldest cemeteries, because we like to do tombstone rubbings, using linen cloth and a crayon. Did you spend any time looking at the tombstones? If so, did any catch your eye?
You mean destroying pagan temples by turning them Christian
You mean not using tax money properly letting these things literally rot away, just like the 252 other stave churches that are gone?
I may be exaggerating, but i can assure you that most Norwegians could not care less about preserving their past. Norway was built upon agriculture and fishing, and most politicians and people trash this part of history. Most of Norways history was made after the rule of Danmark after years of poverty. And those buildings from the time leading up to and around independence are NOT taken care of, and are demolished regularly
@@deprimat666 *norsemen, they're no longer pagans.
@Alexandra McLean It's the artistic elements of the language and images on the stones that speak to the era they were done in. An above ground archaeology dig.
Ha, I worked several years as a guide at that church. It's quite wonderful finding a good video on it! Joakim did a pretty good job of giving you guys an overview as well :)
If they didn't use a single nail on this church.
Then can you pliz tell me what is holding it up?
I'm curious. Scrolling for answers but no luck finding any.
@@lillianbainivalu6909 The structures were built using interlocking wooden joinery instead of nails.
"Insects, bugs - we don't have them." That's it I'm moving.
:-D I think they lie :-D
Amazing and beautiful. I love that these parents are teaching their children to appreciate history and be amazed at it's early.
@absolutely stunning, Kirsten. Seeing that church and valley must have been breathtaking. Thanks again!💙
this channel is amazing. good work Kirsten (and family) !
amazing, just so neat. I'm glad the young man is so in tuned to the history of the church. nice to see are younger generation learning more about the culture of the church history & on how it was built & what goes into the materials to keep it from wasting away. Like how they use the tare sealer on the church & it turns it black. Never seen that before. Thank you for the great content. Love watching your videos.
The old stone churches from the middle ages in Scandinavia have wooden roofs that are tarred like this church.
I love the way Children are being emersed in History and Culture.
New generation will appreciate their Heritage.
Beautiful church and country side!
The transition from Heathen to Christian in Norway took some 300 years, and there was a period of "blending". (I say "Heathen" versus "Pagan" on purpose: "Pagan" is a Latin-root word that originated in the Mediterranean area. "Heathen" has it's origin in the north.) For example, one stave church has a carving of one eyed Odin on a rafter. Many stave churches have dragons on them, to ward of evil spirits just as they once did on pre-Christian viking ships. Stave churches in general are believed to resemble earlier Viking era longhouses in construction. A medieval tapestry from the Skog Church in Hälsingland, Sweden, shows a Christian church with worshippers inside under attack by mounted soldiers. Three figures standing on the left side of the tapestry, once thought to be Swedish king-saints, coming to protect the church building, are now known to represent the triad of Thor, Odin and Frey, based on things that they're holding.
In response to an earlier comment about "paganists" burning centuries old stave churches, that's rubbish. They were burned by black metal music fans who fused their ideas of "Pagan" with a satanic twist. Modern day neo-Pagans do not burn churches, let alone those that are part of their collective heritage. One such Heathen reconstructionist group is Asatru, which is a legal and accepted religion in Scandinavia.
He didn't claim they were typical for Norwegian churches only. I think you misunderstood his comment entirely.
@Silvana Barilla You didn´t understand the meaning of his comment at all...
I would be interested to know what you would describe as "blending", because it was neither peaceful nor voluntary.
Tyrants used Christianity to claim a divine right to rule from God, the first christian "king" Olaf Tryggvason used torture, arson, and execution to force people to convert. The norse mythological elements incorporated into the architecture are likely a result of craftsmen who were reluctantly forced into christian servitude.
@@mohammadlonlabe746
Pagans btfo
Varg is a odalist you don't have any idea about his beliefs
Good thing they didn't torch it during the reformation.
@@joakim2k10
Varg xD
@@joakim2k10 That was one church by one person ever. And he went to prison for it. Also it wasn't a stave church it was a regular church.
he burned Christian churches not Norse churches
@@dimuthbhanuka1027 he burnt Fantoft, It was built by norse catholics in the 12th century and stolen by protestants, probably around 16th century. Regardless, he tried to destroy the history of Norway in some way.
@@pacceli2009 Christianity has nothing to do with Norway
The upkeep of the tar and the dry climate is the main reason you can keep wood that long. The slow growing trees is a thing too but that is more to do with quality and hardness of the wood.
Drying the tree from the roots is very interesting to me.
"Mom it's creepy."
lol
I lol'ed
The start of a horror movie
@@martingrobler3165 it looks beautiful
Smart kid. Does she say "Viking time!" @1:58
It is a great heritage of the great Norway , I love this old church in the world.
I've drawn and painted this church many times, (from only photos) so have spent hours "looking at it. Finding this video made my day. Thank you for the brilliant upload
That church building is amazing. It almost has the appearance of an ancient Japanese temple.
CiaoBella I agree I've been thinking the same thing for a while and this although only 800 years old seems to be similar to more ancient architecture from this area and I wonder if Northern Europeans and East Asians had contact with each other
They used similar building techniques...and yes, there is a fair amount of evidence that the Norse traded with the Far East.
Sarah Gray thank you that's awesome 🙂
Sarah Gray what evidence
@@anthonyfox585 It always seems that people are implying that Europeans never had any original ideas. :/
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?
I was thinking the exact same thing when I saw the title.
brickman409 Okay, now I have to pull out my Rubber Soul album/LP, and listen to this...thanks!
Love that song.
Wow....very cool! Even the area around the church, the valley, is just beautiful!
Yes, beautiful, old building, still hard to take eyes off surrounding mountains.
Wow, centuries old wood church, now that's awesome. Back then, the way the pioneers built cottages, barns and old log cabins lasted very long, not six centuries like that church but about a century. Great video as always, luv ur channel, great work. Thanks for sharing.
Tony R. More amazing is to know there are living trees that are more than twice as old as this church. Trees are amazing, which makes me appreciate this structure even more.
Katie S Totally agree with you, even those centuries old redwood giant trees are remarkable to see.
Not six centuries, but eight and a half
Loved it. Thank you from India.
my grandma was born in borgund I'm 22 now so I'm thinking of travelling there to learn my history
Fascinating as usual,. thanks for your time😊
Is this part of that international protection of heritage thing?
Thank-you very much. Hope your channel continues to grow. Looking forward to your content.
wow amazing story, just shows you how smart our ancestors were. the skills combined with quality products and know how could build something with such longevity and beauty. impressive. thank you for another informative and interesting video.
Another reason these wooden churches lasted so long was the tar like sap they used from the cut down trees that is/was used to paint the churches (their distinct colour as we see now; black) to keep water and moisture out of the wood to help prevent rot. Unfortunately the formula for this tar like paint (that last 8 to 10 years) was lost and had to use less effective formulas (that last 3 to 5 years) for reapplication over the centuries to help preserve the building.
My heart sank when your kid went to the door. "This is how all the scary movies start!"
:)
God sees the one who serves not the one being served...!!So, serve n help as many as you can to praise God. May God shower his blessings on all the pastors, ministers, volunteers, praise n worshippers n everyone involved in service.. ..!! Hallelujah!! Praise Lord!! Amen!!...!!
I've been subscribed to your channel for a few years now and I love all of your videos! I really appreciate your hard work!
A question: What has been your kids favourite place of all the places you've been?
Their memories are short so hard to say. They did like the coal huts we stayed in Sweden... anything with that much nature is hard for kids not to love.
That warms my heart as a nature loving swede :) Thanks again!
Thank you so much.
The timber preparation technique he is reffering to is called ORE pine. You cut the limbs off of a pine tree and let let it sit for a few seasons until it dies. The result is a wood (from what I have been told by friends with more experiance) that is pretty much the same as impregnating with resin, but much slower
Incredible! Just incredible!
Nicely done. I was just in Norway and took the bus from Lillehammer to Flam, expecting to see the Borgund Stavkirk out the window for a few seconds at least but did not know the tunnel for the E16 by passed it completely... oops... Thanks for the close-up views and commentary!
You are in Norway now?? I am from Norway :) Big fan of your videos btw ;)
Thank you. Filmed this awhile ago, but would love to return.
Love to see it in person
Wow this church looks amazing, any chance we get to see the inside as well?
Stuff like this I'd love to see in person, I saw the viking village in Newfoundland and that was awesome even though it was a recreation of a home
LOL, I drive by that place very often when heading to the mountain cabin and I was just there looking for a geocache :)
dseed norway It amazes me how we can be completely oblivious to the beauty and history around us until a stranger looks at them with wonder and excitement. This church is amazing!
Man I want to visit there someday so bad, see my ancestors land. Can I crash at your cabin?
Eagle Talon when are you arriving? ✌️
It was good to have an explanation with the video.
"Please don't walk on the grass."
American tourists: WOW U GUISE [drives on grass]
Kirsten, could you do a video featuring mostly your kids? They are adorable and very well read, as would be expected. Thanks.
I wish you would consider getting a gimbal or a camera that has decent 5 axis image stabilisation.
Thank you for this. I just love your videos. So interesting and inspiring.
Beautiful country.
Great video, did you guys go inside?
It remind me to Indonesia traditional mosque like Masjid agung demak and masijd agung banten with local architecture, this church are amazing. without roman or gothic influences
I loved it how the kid peeks through the keyhole, and then you show what he sees.
Hey, where is located? What town name or the area more exactly in Norway?
They built an exact copy of this church in Rapid City SD
Yggdrasil. that reminder of my bookworm self just hit me square in the heart.
The church was beautiful. BTW, the Imperial Palace in China is also made out of wood and it is around the same age.
beautiful church
You should go to China and check out the Pagoda of Fogong Temple( Tower), which is 67meter high. It's completely made out of wood. It was started to build in year 1056.
is it a building where people worship the God (?) of abraham, moses, jesus, and mohammed peace be upon them all!
Being that it was built by a Buddhist monk named Tian, and that Chinese culture had not yet been adulterated by the desert monotheistic religions, I'd have to go with, no.
He ia roghr about the timber beeing better back then, even back in 18th century, been renovating a couple of hoses built mid to late 18th century and some from early 19th century and most of the timber in those house are much stronger and more densley grown than any timber we get today. One logcabin I did some work on had logs not more than maybe 20-25 cm in diameter and still where 150-200 years old and a real workout trying to cut or lift. Love the old ways of building, it was done to last forever. Todays houses have no life of rheir own and are made to last just for a short period of time before needing extensive work. Houses that where built when my father was my age I renovate today and some houses, especially those made as modules, need a complete rework after just ten years...
partly bad Wood and partly that houses today don't Breathe.
KennyG Hansen yeah true, many today want all that stupid plastic in the walls and roofs and floors and what not. It's pretty much laws about it to have it today but seriously that shit is a breeding ground for mold and rot. It's ridiculos to have dense materials in places where moist can gather. I've seen some horror examples of this where I have been forced to tear of the roofs of houses and rebuild them because of that frikkin plastic.
Amazing ..thanks for sharing
We have similliar Church here in Poland. It's called Wang Church and is located in Karpacz. It was brought from Norway to Lower Silesia by some german guy. However it's not as old as this one.
Muy antiguo para ser del material que es y muy peculiar en su arquitectura. Sin duda un tesoro
what kind of wood was the church made from
Wow.. just wow!
Didn't the artists in Frozen use this church as inspiration for the castle?
some of those roof shingles been protecting that church from the weather for several hundred years. I wonder what it would have seen and protected against.
Early stealth church. I like the Thai style 'pointy things'.
69Phuket it is actually for practical reason. the high and steep roof makes snow slide of the roof. building that big with the times construction strength and shallow roof would have collapsed under the weight of the snow collecting on the roof. so the large floor area and necessary steep roof angle made the church high and pointy.
it resembles the local candle spruced which grow narrow and high with steep downward pointed branches due to the weight of the snow.
Simply majestic.
There is a part-wood-part-brick church in England which is 1000 years old, although only the oldest of the wood is that old.
good video guys! It makes me wonder what techniques were used for this church's wood
800 years, that pretty darn impressive
I've been on the inside and the drawings are beautiful. There are also rune carvings as well depicting Biblical individuals, Christ, and specific stories. Some of the early Christians at the site kept their pagan traditions and historians believe for several hundred years they local blended their ancient beliefs with their modern Christian faith.
Legend has it that someone was meant to meet someone else there but time just went on without them meeting...
You know its been restored before 2012 right ?
There is church like that, moved in half XIXth cent. from Norway to Karpacz in Poland and it is amazing. You should visit it also because in valley below (Jelenia Góra Valley) there is more palaces, castles and parks than in Loire Valley, UNESCO world Heritage site and almost unknown in the world.
That is F-ing amazing .....
If Viking ships were buildings... I wonder what the earliest dated gravestone is surrounding the church?
this is great!
It would have been nice to see the inside. Most old churches are positioned in such a way as to take advantage of the Sun's natural light.
They're beautiful, but a testament to how that horrible ideology was forced on us. I'm glad Norway is now mostly secular.
it wasnt forced
Awsome!!!
very similar to the church which is set in The Norwegian Museum of Cultural Historia in Bygdøy
Idea Ive been kicking around in my head is that Gothic Arcitecure evolved out of stave churches instead of the otherway around.
This is the church that there's a small scale replica of in EPCOT.
Given its age, was this originally a Catholic church?
Yes, of course.
It was most likely Catholic, but there would also have some Russian Orthodox missionaries coming in from Eastern Europe as well.
No it's not "Catholic" church. More of a facade built upon a pagan worship temple and its symbols. Most likely erected right on top of an ancient European "pagan" burial mound or a sacred worship site that were there long before Christianity and desecrated as soon as it moved in.
I can't see anything 😕
Amazing!
WOW AMAZING!!!
You couldn't go inside? Love ur videos!
Amazing!!!
Very impressive
thanks youtube , for interrupting an 800 year old church with an online gambling advertisement ???
Also, wish we could see a Christmas full church service inside.
If this was the Notre-Dame this would be long gone!
It looks like it just went out of the pages of a fantasy world.
This thing is just like Japanese castle-temple but the region climate is so cold so insects are less or even none.
That church is smokin!
Crazy how this building was built with no nails.
Amazing.
why was ur husband not allowed to go in and stand behind that steel door?
Because I'm Woland from the book "The Master and Margarita".
A bit odd, you're right. He happened to be on that side of the fence while I was interviewing and joined us. He could have walked around, but we got started on the conversation and just didn't stop. Definitely one of the oddest interviewing positions I've filmed, but when the conversation is good... :)
Kirsten Dirksen So you assume I'm not Woland. Ah, OK.
haha. thanks for the answer guys. U guys are doing god's work here. Many thanks from Cambodia!
He would like to but he cant....its hallow ground
beautiful
One of these churches was moved to Poland by ship.
Phenomenal
Where is Varg when you need him?
ksztyrix lol I know, right? 😁🤘
Lol, I knew *somebody* had to go there!
In jail, where he belongs!
Wow, that's crazy.