A medieval-style Fantoft Stave Church in Fana. The church was originally built around the year 1150 at Fortun in Sogn, a village near the inner or eastern end of Sognefjord. In 1879, the new Fortun Church (Fortun kyrkje) was constructed as a replacement for the medieval stave church. Fantoft Stave Church was threatened with demolition, as were hundreds of other stave churches in Norway. Fantoft Stave Church was bought by consul Fredrik Georg Gade and saved by moving it in pieces to Fana near Bergen in 1883. Outside the church stands a stone cross from Tjora in Sola.
Many of Norway’s magnificent stave churches are difficult to visit without a car. Traditionally built outside of villages, many of the stave churches still standing are in rural locations around the fjord region.
Simply put, stave describes the architectural style whereby the walls were constructed of upright planks, or staves. They are an instantly recognisable icon of rural Norway, so much so that they were part of the inspiration for some of the settings in the Disney movie Frozen.
This was was within walking distance although it was closed for the season and we only got to take pictures of the exterior.
Adventures with Cindy 