Fantoft Stave Church

About

The Fantoft Stave Church is a remnant of medieval life in Norway and also has a fascinating modern history that became a news sensation. The church was originally built around the year 1150 in a different location at Fortun in Sogn. After being bought by consul Frederik Georg Gade, it was moved in pieces to Fana in 1883. Stylised dragon heads roar on the exterior, depicting Norse mythology against the emerging Christianisation of the architecture. In June 1992, a member of the notorious early Norwegian black metal scene burned down the church in an ‘act of war’ against religion. Its reconstruction took six years to complete, but it is now in pristine condition with an identical design. View the Fantoft Stave Church free of charge from a viewing platform outside, from mid-May to mid-September. Pay a 55kr entrance fee to enter the interior, which contains a small altar and some Norse carvings, kept dimly and eerily lit.