Urnes stave church
Type:
Churches,
Sculptures
Date:
Second half of the eleventh century and early twelfth century
Location or Findspot (Modern-Day Country):
Norway
Description:
A stave church is a building type named after its wooden post-and-beam construction. The name comes from the vertical, load-bearing wooden posts ("stafr" in in Old Norse and "stav" in modern Norwegian). The so-called Urnes Style of Scandinavian art, associated with interwoven animal forms from the second half of the eleventh century and the early twelfth century, is named after the ornament on the northern wall of the Urnes stave church in Norway. This re-used piece of relief sculpture probably comes from the original west portal from the 1070s. The Urnes Style is sometimes called the Runestone style and appears in various media, including runestones, furniture, and metal jewelry.
Relevant Textbook Chapter(s):
7
Repository and Online Resources:
• Visit the page on the Urnes stave church on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Image Credits:
Wikimedia Commons, Pixabay; Georg Ber/Alamy Stock Photo; Navid Jamali
