Fantoft Stave Church

This wooden church built in the Viking Age is one of only 39 stave churches left in Norway. The so-called wooden plank is an architectural style in which roofs are placed on top of upright wooden pillars on the foundation. It was built in an era when dual beliefs coexisted from Norse mythology to Christianity. The stave church was completely destroyed by a fire in June 1976 and was rebuilt in May 1997. The original building was built in 1150 on the shores of the Sogne Fjord and moved to its current location in 1883. The dragon pattern on the roof of the church was decorated at that time to expel the entry of Christianity, which was regarded as paganism. Except for the dragon, the interior wood carving patterns were the same as the pirate ship patterns.