Rødven Stave Church is beautifully situated by Rødvenfjorden in the village of Rødven, a branch of the Romsdalsfjord in Western Norway. The church’s origins date back to the Middle Ages, making it a striking example of traditional Norwegian wooden architecture.
Rødven Stave Church shares this unusual construction method with Kvernes Stave Church, where exterior wooden pillars were added to strengthen the building over time.
Stave Churches in Western Norway
A Stave Church is a wooden church from the middle age. Most of the Norwegian Stave Churches were built right after the Viking Age around year 1100-1200 AD. The name “Stave Church” comes from the construction of the buildings; large ground beams of wood are placed on a foundation of stone, then internal wooden pillars (staves) are interconnected and also connected to the outer walls.
Rødven Stave Church in Romsdal
Rødven Stave Church is situated in Rødven down by the beautiful Rødvenfjord which is a branch of the Romsdalsfjord. It is believed that Rødven Stave Church was built around year 1300 AD, but the stave church has older wood-materials and is probably from between year 1100 and 1200 AD.
Rødven Stave Church is one of two Stave Churches that also have exterior wooden pillars to support and to stiffen the building structure. The other stave church that has external wooden pillars is Kvernes Stave Church on Averøy at Nordmøre.
During an archaeological excavation in 1962 – 1963 AD, remains were found from an older stave church on the site where Rødven Stave Church stands. Later it was found remains from settlements and graves from the Iron Age and the Roman Age. Coins from the 1100s has also been found around Rødven Stave Church.
Season – Rødven Stave Church is open for guided tours in the summer and by appointment. See Rødven Stave Church website for season and opening hours.
Romsdalsfjord – What to See and Do
From snowy mountains to beautiful coastline of islands and reefs. Experience all this in one day due to the short distance from mountains to coast. Trollstigen, Trollveggen and Rampestreken are great places to visit in the inner part of the Romsdalsfjord, where the fjord meets the spectacular and alpine Romsdal mountains. The Romsdalsfjord is located in the county of Møre og Romsdal, north in Western Norway.
Visit Northwest
Visit Northwest is the official destination company for the Romsdalsfjord, Romsdal and Nordmøre area.
Hotels and accommodation in and near Åndalsnes
The area at and around Åndalsnes in Romsdal has a large selection of hotels and other accommodation options.
