Fantoft Stave Church, Medieval stave church in Fana, Norway
Fantoft Stave Church is a wooden house of worship in Bergen Municipality, standing on a forested hillside in the Fana district. The dark walls made of vertical posts support several layered roofs that narrow toward the top, with carved ornaments lining their edges.
The original building was raised around 1150 in Fortun near Sognefjord and remained there for more than seven centuries. In 1883, a merchant from Bergen purchased the structure and had it moved to its current site, where it was reassembled.
The name comes from the nearby farm that existed long before the building was erected. Many visitors notice the dragon heads crowning the roof peaks, which recall old Nordic ships and show how Christian belief and earlier traditions merged in woodworking.
The interior opens for guided visits during the summer months, with tours offered several times each day. Access is by a short walk from the parking area through the woods, with some gentle uphill sections along the way.
A fire destroyed the building completely in 1992, after which craftsmen rebuilt it using old photographs and drawings as guides. The reconstruction used centuries-old pine timber and took six years, with traditional methods applied throughout and no metal nails involved.
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