Stave churches are the most famous medieval buildings in Norway and are admired for their unique architecture and beautiful decorations. They are named after the staves or masts that hold up the main structure of the church. Only 28 stave churches are still standing from over 1000 that were once scattered around the country. The churches were constructed from the beginning of the 12th century CE to 1349 CE when the Black Death arrived in Norway. They were constructed from wood and built when Christianity was still young in Norway. The churches incorporated local ancient traditions of woodcarving - for example, characteristic dragonheads - and stone architecture more common on the European continent. There were once stave churches in other parts of Northern Europe, but only in Norway can the originals still be seen. Here are some of the magnificent stave churches any visitor to Norway should visit.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1609/stave-churches-norways-national-treasures/.