Reinli stave church
Encyclopedia
The Reinli Stave Church is a Norwegian
stave church
built some time during the second half of the 13th century in Reinli, a village in the Sør-Aurdal
municipality of Oppland
county. It is the third church at the same location in Reinli.
The first references made to a church at this location comes from Olaf Haraldsson who travelled through Valdres
in 1023, and also visited Reinli. It is believed that there was a pagan temple at the same location before the first church, some time before 1000.
Through radiocarbon dating
, logs in the church have been dated to 1190, which somewhat contradicts previous datings of the church. There are some claims that the church was built after 1326, but this seems to be outside the error envelope of radiocarbon dating. It could be that the church was rebuilt from materials used in an earlier church. There is, however, a written account of the church's existence in 1327.
The Reinli stave church follows a plan set by continental churches in monasteries. Later the church was rebuilt by Sira Thord, who is buried beneath the south-east entrance. The church is generally assumed to be close to its original configuration, although some sources dispute this.
The church underwent interior changes in 1884–1885, and restoration work was done on the exterior in 1976–1977. There is no electric heating or light in the church.
An old pillory
stands outside the church, but is no longer in use. On May 17, 1845 its use was formally abandoned when the medieval law
was changed.
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...
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...
built some time during the second half of the 13th century in Reinli, a village in the Sør-Aurdal
Sør-Aurdal
Sør-Aurdal is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bagn....
municipality of Oppland
Oppland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway....
county. It is the third church at the same location in Reinli.
The first references made to a church at this location comes from Olaf Haraldsson who travelled through Valdres
Valdres
Valdres is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between Gudbrandsdal and Hallingdal.Administratively, Valdres belongs to Oppland. It consists of the municipalities Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slidre, Vang and Etnedal. The main town in the region is...
in 1023, and also visited Reinli. It is believed that there was a pagan temple at the same location before the first church, some time before 1000.
Through radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
, logs in the church have been dated to 1190, which somewhat contradicts previous datings of the church. There are some claims that the church was built after 1326, but this seems to be outside the error envelope of radiocarbon dating. It could be that the church was rebuilt from materials used in an earlier church. There is, however, a written account of the church's existence in 1327.
The Reinli stave church follows a plan set by continental churches in monasteries. Later the church was rebuilt by Sira Thord, who is buried beneath the south-east entrance. The church is generally assumed to be close to its original configuration, although some sources dispute this.
The church underwent interior changes in 1884–1885, and restoration work was done on the exterior in 1976–1977. There is no electric heating or light in the church.
An old pillory
Pillory
The pillory was a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse, sometimes lethal...
stands outside the church, but is no longer in use. On May 17, 1845 its use was formally abandoned when the medieval law
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
was changed.
External links
- Reinli stave church in Stavkirke.org — in Norwegian
- Local page — in Norwegian