Nore Stavkirke

Nore Stave Church


Nore Stave Church is located in Nore and Uvdal municipality in Buskerud. Nore Stave Church was built according to an architectural style called: Numedalstype. The church was built as a cruciform church approximately 1167, with galleries, a chancel and cross naves with an apse. This was very rare at the time, and one does not know of of any other church in Norway or Europe that could have been a model for this structure.

The church was partially rebuilt in the 1600s and 1700s. The naves and chancel have remnants of beautiful coloring from 1655 and 1683. As in Uvdal Stave Church the woodcarvings in Nore are very artfully done. The nave's west portal has carved decorations with leaf vines and animal ornamentation. The animal figures are dragons and lions, and the portals are related to similar portals in Telemark.

In the Stave Church are also two inscriptions, one of which is a prayer: "Wish me the very best". The two crucifixes may be from the Middle Ages, and during the excavation revealed a piece of painting that seemed to originate from the late Middle Ages.

The Church seems to have been richly endowed with art objects. The Christian symbols probably spoke more directly to the medieval population than they do to people of today. Art objects and decoration of the stave churches in Nore and Uvdal confirms the impression we have from other stave churches, that the first half of the Middle Ages was the most creative period.