Gol new Stave Church, Wooden stave church in Gol Municipality, Norway
Gol Stave Church is a wooden structure featuring three spires on the main roof with carved doorways displaying dragon and plant patterns across the exterior walls. The building contains multiple sections including a nave, ambulatory, gallery, choir, and apse, all connected through intricate wooden passages.
This church was completed in 1994 as a replica of the original 13th-century stave church now housed at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. The reconstruction allowed traditional medieval building techniques and craftsmanship to be brought back to life.
The church displays traditional stave church architecture with carvings that combine Norse and Christian imagery throughout its exterior. Visitors can observe this craftsmanship directly in the carved doorways and wall decorations.
Entry to the building is through a main portal at the front, leading into the interior spaces. Visitors should expect narrow wooden corridors and steep stairs when moving between the different levels.
The timber for construction came from the surrounding valley and underwent careful selection and preparation over ten years before building started. This lengthy preparation phase was crucial to ensure the material quality matched the original church.
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