Kvernes

Kvernes Stave Church, ca 1300 or before, in Averoy, More og Romsdal

 

Photographs from 2011

 

Kvernes stave church, is located in the small village of Kvernes on Averoy Island in More og Romsdal.  The island is just across a fjord from Kristiansund on the west coast of Norway (above Bergen and above Alesund). It is similar in appearance to Rodven stave church; it is a single nave church and is supported by diagonal struts on the south side. The interior walls of both churches are painted with acanthus designs.

 

 Only the nave remains from the original stave church which was built between 1200 and 1300 hundred. In the 1600s, the chancel was torn down and replaced with a new one. This new chancel was not built with stave construction (vertical posts and planking) but rather with blockhouse construction (horizontal logs joined together with notched corners). Usually, the width of a chancel is smaller than the width of a nave, but in this case the new chancel was constructed with the same width as the nave. Also during the 1600s, a new steeple was erected and a stave-built baptistry was added.

 

 

 

The 1475 altarpiece is an unusual treasure. The Virgin Mary and her mother Anna, holding the Christ Child, are depicted in two center panels. In 1695, a Baroque mounting which includes Moses with the Ten Commandments (beside Mary) and Christ holding the banner of victory (beside Anna) was added to the altarpiece (Valebrokk and Thiis-Evensen 2001, p.84). The altarpiece also has 10 faces that stare out at you – similar to ones found on the altarpiece at Rodven stave church,

 

 

 

The rood beams were added in 1690. A crucifix is on the top beam and two lions protecting a shield and crown are on the lower beam. (Protective lions can also be found on the rood in the Lillehammer stave church and the arks of wooden synagogues were usually topped with lions protecting a crown and the Ten Commandments). The pulpit on the right depicts Christ with three of his evangelists. Apparently there was no room for John, the fourth evangelist;  he was placed on the side panel above the pulpit.

 

 

 

A rather large ship hangs from the ceiling near the entrance. These ships are frequent adornments in Norwegian churches. Perhaps they are related to seafarers who sought protection or maybe they are symbolic of all worshippers’ journeys with Christ.

 

 

 

The church is open to visitors during the summer months. Knowledgeable guides will provide you with valuable and interesting information about the church.

A new parish church was built close by at the end of the 19^th century. The stave church was saved from destruction when it was purchased by the Society for the Preservation of Norwegian Ancient Monuments.