Is this church in Norway or China?

Stave Churches were built when Christianity first came to Norway. Hundreds of them were built from 1150 to 1250, and the 30 or so that still survive are some of the oldest wooden buildings in the world. The wood carving that Norwegians are so good at is obvious everywhere. There are dragons and mythical creatures. The roofs look like keels of Viking ships.

The Fantoft Stave Church is actually a restoration of a stave church. It was burned down in 1992 by a man calling himself "The Count", who also burned 2 other churches and even murdered someone. His request for parole was denied last week. The church was rebuilt and consecrated in 1997.

There was a christening or baptism happening when I arrived, and here the family is posing for a picture.


The Jesus is quite small and plain, in contrast to the other woodcarving.

The churchyard sports a medieval cross from before there were churches. This information from Insight Guides "Norway" shows how tough it was to convert the Norwegians. The first Christian king was Haakon the Good, who died around 960 AD. He urged people to "believe in one God, Christ, the son of Mary, and give up all blood offerings... and fast every seventh day". From the typical audience "there was straightaway a mighty uproar", followed by devious ploys to trick Haakon into eating a morsel of horse flesh on a day when he was self-righteously fasting or make him participate in a toast to one of their pagan gods. The missionaries had little luck in suppressing traditions like blood sacrifices (usually animals but sometimes humans). In Trondheim the obdurate response to the message they preached was to send out four ships looking for tiresome missionaries: they "slew three priests and burned three churches; they then went home".

Things have changed since then. The Lutheran church is supported by the state. Up till last week, the government even picked the bishops. Now they get to pick their own bishops, but the government still pays for the church.