One of Norway鈥檚 oldest surviving stave churches stands high above the Lustrafjord. Yet some of Urnes Stave Church鈥檚 remarkable wooden carvings are even older than the church itself.
Norway鈥檚 stave churches are among the country's most distinctive historic buildings. Just 28 survive today, and each one has its own story. But Urnes Stave Church is special even among that select group.
Standing high above the Lustrafjord in the small village of Ornes, the church is one of Norway鈥檚 oldest surviving stave churches. It is also the only stave church included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
At first glance, it can seem surprisingly modest. The dark wooden church is much less dramatic in appearance than the multi-tiered Borgund Stave Church, for example. Look more closely, though, and Urnes reveals something extraordinary.
Some of the carved wooden panels incorporated into the church date from around 1070, decades before the present building was constructed. Their distinctive flowing animal designs became so influential that an entire artistic style now bears the church's name.
This is the Urnes style, one of the final great artistic traditions of the Viking Age.
Introducing Urnes Stave Church
Urnes Stave Church stands on the eastern side of the Lustrafjord, one of the innermost branches of the vast Sognefjord system.
The setting is an important part of the experience. The church sits above orchards and farmland with a wonderful view across the fjord towards Solvorn and the surrounding mountains.
The present church was built in the early 1130s. Tree-ring dating indicates that much of its timber was felled between 1129 and 1132. That puts the building at almost 900 years old. Yet Urnes is not simply a building frozen in the 12th century.
Like almost every medieval church still in use hundreds of years later, it has changed considerably. The choir was extended around 1600, while the pulpit, altar furnishings, gallery and other interior elements were added in later centuries.
Restoration work has also taken place, notably in the early 20th century and again as part of modern conservation efforts. What makes Urnes remarkable is how much medieval material has survived through all those changes.
The famous Urnes carvings
The most important feature to look for is on the north side of the church. Here you will find intricately carved wooden panels and a portal covered with long, slender animals twisting around one another in an elaborate pattern.
These carvings are older than the church around them. They were reused from an earlier church that stood on the same site, with the timber dated to around 1070. The north portal itself probably dates from approximately 1070鈥�1080.
The artistic style became known as the聽Urnes style. Its flowing lines, loops and intertwined animals developed from the animal ornamentation of the Viking Age.
Examples of the style appeared across Scandinavia and even parts of the British Isles, on everything from jewellery and manuscripts to carved wood and runestones.
But the surviving carvings at Urnes are an exceptionally important example of the style being used on such a large scale.
In other words, these aren't simply decorative details added to an old church. They preserve part of the artistic world of late Viking Age Scandinavia.
Where Viking tradition meets medieval Christianity
That makes Urnes an especially interesting place for understanding the enormous cultural change taking place in Norway around this time.
Christianity had become established in Norway, but artistic traditions did not suddenly disappear when the country changed religion. At Urnes, older Scandinavian styles were adapted and reused within an unmistakably Christian building.
Inside, the architecture tells another part of the story. Columns, arches and carved capitals translate ideas familiar from Romanesque stone churches elsewhere in Europe into wood.
UNESCO highlights precisely this combination: Scandinavian wooden building traditions alongside Viking artistic influences and Romanesque architecture. It was one of the reasons Urnes Stave Church was added to the World Heritage List in 1979.
There are also remarkable medieval objects inside the church.
Among them is a 12th-century Calvary group depicting the crucified Christ together with Mary and John. Medieval liturgical objects have survived too, while many later additions show how worship at Urnes continued to develop over the centuries.
The fourth church at Urnes
Perhaps the most fascinating part of the story lies beneath the building. Archaeological investigation has revealed evidence of three earlier churches on the site, meaning the church standing today appears to be number four.
The exact sequence has been debated by archaeologists over the years, but evidence suggests church building at Urnes began during the early Christian period in Norway.
The church immediately preceding today's building was the one responsible for the magnificent carved panels that were later reused.
Intriguingly, that earlier church appears to have been in good condition when it was dismantled. It may have been replaced not because it was falling apart, but because someone wanted a larger or more impressive building.
That fits with another possibility raised by historians: Urnes may originally have been a private church associated with a powerful landowning family. The quality of both the architecture and decoration certainly suggests wealthy patrons.
Archaeology has also uncovered Christian graves older than some of the church structures, showing that this hillside had religious significance very early in Norway's Christian era.
A World Heritage church
Urnes became one of Norway's UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1979. Today, it remains the only Norwegian stave church with that status.
UNESCO considers the church important not simply because of its age, but because it preserves several layers of European cultural history within one wooden building.
The medieval construction techniques are exceptional. The Romanesque architecture shows connections with the wider Christian world. And the reused carvings preserve traditions stretching back into the Viking Age.
Even the survival of those exterior carvings is remarkable. Some have been exposed to the western Norwegian climate for close to a thousand years.
Protection remains an ongoing job. For centuries the timber has been treated with tar, a traditional method that helps protect stave churches from moisture. Modern conservation work also includes sophisticated fire protection and monitoring systems.
Exploring Ornes and the Lustrafjord
Don't make the mistake of treating Urnes as a quick photo stop. The location is one of the reasons I think the church is such a rewarding place to visit.
Ornes remains a tiny settlement surrounded by farmland, orchards and steep mountainsides. From the churchyard, there are tremendous views across the Lustrafjord.
The landscape also helps put the building into context. People have lived and farmed here for centuries. Boathouses along the fjord, small farms on the slopes and fruit growing in the relatively mild local climate all tell the story of communities that depended on both the land and the water.
A cultural landscape trail around the church also gives visitors another reason to spend a little longer here.
The church is normally open to visitors during the warmer months, with guided tours available during the main season. Check the聽聽before travelling, as opening dates and hours can change from year to year.
How to get to Urnes Stave Church
Getting to Urnes is part of the experience. The church stands in the village officially spelled聽Ornes, while the historic church retains the spelling聽Urnes.
Urnes is an older Danish-Norwegian form of the place name that became attached to the church, while Ornes has become the modern spelling for the village.
For most visitors approaching from Sogndal, the easiest and most enjoyable route is via Solvorn.
Drive north from Sogndal towards Hafslo before turning down to the small fjord village of Solvorn. From there, a tiny car and passenger ferry crosses the Lustrafjord to Ornes. The crossing takes about 20 minutes.
Don't expect one of Norway's enormous modern road ferries. The Urnes ferry has room for just 11 cars and 90 passengers, so taking a vehicle across can require a little planning during the busiest part of summer.
During the main summer season, ferries generally run regularly through much of the day. Check the current聽聽before setting out.
Another option is to leave the car on the Solvorn side and cross as a foot passenger. From the Ornes quay, it's a short but fairly steep uphill walk to the church.
If you're taking the car, it's still worth avoiding the temptation to drive right up to the church. Parking close to the building is extremely limited, and visitors are encouraged to use the designated parking area and walk through the surrounding landscape.
Visiting Urnes from a cruise ship in Skjolden
If your cruise ship is calling at Skjolden, Urnes Stave Church is often offered as an organised shore excursion through the cruise line. For many cruise passengers, this is by far the easiest way to visit.
Although Skjolden and Urnes look close to each other on a map, independent transport around this side of the Lustrafjord is limited and does not always line up conveniently with cruise ship arrival and departure times.
Unless you have arranged private transport in advance, getting from Skjolden to Urnes independently can therefore be difficult.
Make Urnes part of a Sognefjord road trip
Urnes works especially well as part of a longer trip around the inner Sognefjord.
Solvorn itself is worth some time, with its white wooden houses, small harbour and beautiful setting. On the same side of the fjord you'll find Hafslo and Sogndal, while Kaupanger Stave Church is another good stop for anyone interested in medieval architecture.
If you take your car across to Ornes, you can continue north along the narrow eastern shore of the Lustrafjord towards Skjolden.
This is a slower alternative to the main road, but a very scenic one. Along the way you'll pass farms, tiny settlements and the impressive Feigefossen waterfall.
From Skjolden, the road continues towards the spectacular聽, crossing the mountains towards Lom. That makes Urnes much more than an isolated attraction.
It sits right at the heart of one of Norway's richest regions for history, landscape and road trips.
And while the fjord views alone make the journey worthwhile, the real reason to come is waiting on that hillside: a wooden church almost 900 years old, decorated with artwork that reaches even further back towards the end of the Viking Age.
My family and I spent Easter week in Lustrafjorden about 5km from the church. One of the most breathtaking and peaceful places we’ve visited in Norway!
We visited there in September 2017. The setting is beautiful on the hillside. We were given a tour of the building. Beautiful paintings etc inside. We also visited 4 other stave churches during our stay in Norway.
Visited there in September 2017. It was a little foggy upon arrival but cleared up in a shout period of time. The guide that met us was very informative. Just loved it. Visited 4 other stave churches on our trip. All were beautiful.