Palisade church
Encyclopedia
A palisade church is a church building which is built with palisade walls, standing split log
s of timber, rammed into the ground, set in gravel or resting on a sill
. The palisade walls form an integral part of the load-bearing system.
This type of construction is often believed to predate a construction method with posts set directly into the earth, sometimes called a post church
, and the later stave construction method, or stave church
. A palisade church often had its walls set fully or partly in gravel and therefore they can be detected in archaeological surveys. Sometimes a new church was built around an existing one, and remnants of the old church can be found under the floor.
The construction itself consisted, in its simplest form, of posts set closely together into a trench in the earth, with the roof resting directly on top of the logs. Later the logs were split in two halves, with the flat side facing into the enclosed room. The edges could be straight, or tongued and grooved.
To prevent rapid deterioration, the logs or stave-planks were charred at the lower end and impregnated with pine-tar. The rows of stave-planks also rested in a ditch of gravel. Nevertheless they were still susceptible to damp and eventually deteriorated.
For a long time it was assumed that this style of church building had disappeared before the year 1000, yet later research has shown it to be quite common as late as the 13th century. No such church exists in Norway
, nor is there found any remnants of any such church, even though most of the stave churches in existence today are located in Norway.
Although this type of church has now almost completely disappeared there are two exceptional survivals.
One church of this kind was rediscovered in Gotland
, Sweden
, re-used as floor planks in the later medieval church. This makes it possible today to say, with some qualified certainty, how such a church would have appeared. The reconstructed church is commonly referred to as Hemse stave church
, although it is a palisade church of type. The church is now dismantled and in storage.
In England
is another church which has survived into our time. Greensted Church
still has its massive palisade walls. Although much debated, it is often classified as the remnants of a palisade church or, more loosely, as a stave church. For a long time this church was assumed to be the world's oldest wooden church, as a dendrochronological dating
estimated its construction to 845 CE. A later analysis has reset the date of the timbers to 1053 CE (+10/55 years)
.
Split log
Split log can refer to:*Billet , a first step in green woodworking manufacture, where logs are deliberately split into quarter, ready for further shaping with a drawknife.*Shake *Puncheon...
s of timber, rammed into the ground, set in gravel or resting on a sill
Sill plate
A sill plate or sole plate in construction and architecture is the bottom horizontal member of a wall or building to which vertical members are attached. Sill plates are usually composed of lumber. It usually comes in sizes of 2×4, 2×6, 2×8, and 2×10. In the platform framing method the sill plate...
. The palisade walls form an integral part of the load-bearing system.
Construction
Post church
Post church is a term for a church building which predates the stave churches and differ in that the corner posts do not reside on a sill but instead have posts dug into the earth. Posts are the vertical, roof-bearing timbers that were placed in the excavated post holes...
, and the later stave construction method, or stave church
Stave church
A stave church is a medieval wooden church with a post and beam construction related to timber framing. The wall frames are filled with vertical planks. The load-bearing posts have lent their name to the building technique...
. A palisade church often had its walls set fully or partly in gravel and therefore they can be detected in archaeological surveys. Sometimes a new church was built around an existing one, and remnants of the old church can be found under the floor.
The construction itself consisted, in its simplest form, of posts set closely together into a trench in the earth, with the roof resting directly on top of the logs. Later the logs were split in two halves, with the flat side facing into the enclosed room. The edges could be straight, or tongued and grooved.
To prevent rapid deterioration, the logs or stave-planks were charred at the lower end and impregnated with pine-tar. The rows of stave-planks also rested in a ditch of gravel. Nevertheless they were still susceptible to damp and eventually deteriorated.
For a long time it was assumed that this style of church building had disappeared before the year 1000, yet later research has shown it to be quite common as late as the 13th century. No such church exists in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, nor is there found any remnants of any such church, even though most of the stave churches in existence today are located in Norway.
Although this type of church has now almost completely disappeared there are two exceptional survivals.
One church of this kind was rediscovered in Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, re-used as floor planks in the later medieval church. This makes it possible today to say, with some qualified certainty, how such a church would have appeared. The reconstructed church is commonly referred to as Hemse stave church
Hemse stave church
Hemse stave church is a rediscovered palisade church from Hemse at Gotland. Before the present Hemse church was built there was a stave church from the early Christian period in the beginning of 11th century. The solid and richly ornamented stave planks of oak was used as a wooden floor in the...
, although it is a palisade church of type. The church is now dismantled and in storage.
In England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
is another church which has survived into our time. Greensted Church
Greensted Church
Greensted Church, in the small village of Greensted, near Chipping Ongar in Essex, England, is the oldest wooden church in the world, and probably the oldest wooden building in Europe still standing, albeit only in part, since few sections of its original wooden structure remain...
still has its massive palisade walls. Although much debated, it is often classified as the remnants of a palisade church or, more loosely, as a stave church. For a long time this church was assumed to be the world's oldest wooden church, as a dendrochronological dating
Dendrochronology
Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the scientific method of dating based on the analysis of patterns of tree-rings. Dendrochronology can date the time at which tree rings were formed, in many types of wood, to the exact calendar year...
estimated its construction to 845 CE. A later analysis has reset the date of the timbers to 1053 CE (+10/55 years)
.