Stiklestad Church


Stiklestad Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Verdal municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Stiklestad. It is the church for the Stiklestad parish which is part of the Stiklestad prosti in the Diocese of Nidaros. The church seats about 520 people.

History

The gray, Romanesque church was built of stone in a long church style.
Construction started with the building of the chancel in the year 1180 under direction of Archbishop Øystein Erlendsson. The nave of the church is of a later date than the chancel dating from around 1200. At some point during the Late Middle Ages the nave was extended towards the west.
The church was built at the site of the Battle of Stiklestad. During the battle, St. Olaf received three severe wounds: an axe to the knee, a spear into the stomach and the final mortal hit in the neck by another axe. He died on 29 July 1030 leaning against a large stone. The church building is assumed to have been erected on the exact spot where St. Olaf was killed during that battle and that stone is supposedly still inside the altar of the church.
The former baroque style altarpiece dates from 1655. It was carved by Johan Johansen, bilthugger and the altarpiece was originally painted by Johan Hanssønn, kontrafeier.
The church under went restoration to coincide with the St Olaf Jubilee of 1930.
Stiklestad Church is the namesake of the Stiklestad United Lutheran Church in Minnesota, United States, established by Norwegian emigrants in 1897.

Gallery