St. Olaf Kirke, Lutheran stone church near Cranfills Gap, Texas, US.

St. Olaf Kirke is a small Lutheran church built of limestone quarried from surrounding hills, sitting on a rise above Meridian Creek Valley four miles east of Cranfills Gap. Andrew Mickelson designed and built it in 1886 with his brothers Christian and Ole and local farmers. The interior has wooden pews originally set on kegs and a dirt floor.

Norwegian settlers founded the church in 1886, building it from stone quarried locally and relying on volunteer labor to complete the work. This construction came during a period when Scandinavian immigrants were establishing themselves in this region of Texas and creating new communities.

Services were held in Norwegian, with some in English, until regular worship ended in 1917. The church is named for Olaf, the Norwegian king later venerated as a saint. Since 1983 it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and weddings and funerals are still held here.

The interior has no electricity or running water, relying on a wood stove for heating during winter services. Visitors should expect rustic conditions as the building is preserved in its original state.

A Norwegian king visited the church in 1982 to honor one of the earliest leaders of Norwegian emigration, whose grave rests in the adjacent cemetery. This visit underscores the historical connection between the Scandinavian homeland and this remote community in Texas.