July 16, 2009
Lyle and Liz Hendrickson took us to Minot ND today and took us to the Scandanavian Heritage Park where we saw this beautiful structure. It is a full-scale replica of a church built in the year 1250 in Hallingdal, Norway, overlooking the community of Gol.
The origins of this church go back to King Olaf of Norway who became a Christian while traveling around as a Viking. The magnificent structure is full of symbolism, starting with the four corner staves representing Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. There are fourteen “X” shaped crosses inside, known as St. Andrew crosses. The 12 log pillars or staves represent the 12 apostles.
By the year 1300 there were over 1,000 stave churchs and they were all alike. Today there are less than 29 in all of Norway. They all have wooden joinery, with tongue-and-groove floor and walls, and no glues or fasteners. The structure is completely flexible and each joint can expand or contract depending on the humidity and temperature.
The stave churches through time were considered wooden treasures because of their artistic and technical construction. They were Christian messages carved in wood. The ceiling looks like the inside of an overturned ship and was strong enough to hold up under a storm and the weight of snow. The carvings of the dragon heads are like those on the ships they built and the pole at the very top of the church is known as a mast.
The original Gol church remained where it was built for over 700 years, but in the year 1882, King Oscar II had it dismantled and moved to Oslo where it now is located at the Oslo Museum. We are fortunate in that we have an exact replica to enjoy right here.
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