St. Olaf's Church is an Anglican church in the village of Balestrand in Sogndal Municipality in the…read morecounty of Vestland in Norway. This church, built in a stave church style was completed in 1897. It belongs to the Church of England and is under the spiritual administration of the Bishop of Gibraltar who is in charge of all Anglican churches on the European mainland. The church was erected in memory of Margaret Sophie Green Kvikne - a vicar's daughter from Yorkshire, England - who came to Norway as a mountaineering pioneer. She married Knut Kvikne. She died in 1894, but at her death bed, Knut promised her to build an Anglican church. The church building was completed in three years. The small and quaint wooden church is located on a grassy hillside in Balestrand, and overlooks Sognefjord. It's is a peaceful church that welcomes all visitors. Please enjoy the pictures. General source of information: https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/st-olafs-church-the-english-church

A Tale As Old As Time…read more Once upon a time in a land far far away, a stately Norwegian hotelier named Knut Kvikne and an English rock climber named Margaret Sophia Green met along the peaceful shores of Balestrand. With his puffy chest and her (18)80's puffy sleeves, they made a dashing pair indeed. The twitterpated lovebirds spent a couple summers hiking snow-capped mountains filled with animated singing goats before finally marrying in 1892. Their wishes had come true, and they lived happily ever after. Almost. Margaret tragically became cursed with tuberculosis, and passed away after only two years of marriage. Alas, her devastated prince was not able to kiss her back to life on her rose-red lips, but he did make one last promise to her before she fell into eternal sleep. Knut agreed to build her an Angelican church, and kept true to his word. Construction for St. Olaf Church, which later served as the model for the church in Disney's "Frozen", was completed in 1897. The church is built in a neo-stave style, with beautiful woodwork and stained glass windows throughout. A stunning view of the fjords can be taken in by the doorway of the church, either alone or with a handsome prince. Now's your moment, Floating in a blue lagoon Boy, you better do it soon No time will be better She don't say a word And she won't say a word Until you kiss the girl "Kiss the Girl" (Little Mermaid)

It had all the makings of a Hollywood thriller..intrigue, mystery, possible murder, and one widow's…read moreplight for revenge... June 2018: My cousin and I had a couple hours to kill, so we drove to Vangen Church in Aurlandsvangen to visit with some old relatives...centuries old. The white stone church sits in the center of small village where you can't miss it. We parked in the large lot in front of the church, and then scouted the grounds to locate the gravesites of our ancestors. While photographing the tombstones, we noticed how beautifully and immaculately the cemetery was maintained with gorgeous flowers. We did not explore past the cemetery though, so who knows what lies beyond the grave(s)? The church was open, so we decided to take a peek inside. We were the only visitors at the time, allowing us to fully experience the old building's acoustics, squeaks and creaks, and peaceful ambiance. Influenced by thirteenth century English Gothic architecture, the interior was simple with impressively thick walls (1.3-1.6 meters), and green carpeting that echoed the lush green backdrop of the fjord church. Five original windows remain, with stained-glass windows by Emmanuel Vigeland added in a restoration in 1926. But amidst the straightforward design and decor hid a more complex fixture...a plaque commemorating a man and a mystery worthy of a Dateline episode. The plaque was created by Trine Henricksdatter in memory of her late husband, merchant Niels Michelson from Bergen. Flash back to year 1613: Niels drowned during a trade expedition, though his widow suspected foul play. He was later buried at the Vangen Church. Keith Morrison, with furrowed brow, and curled hand on chin: "Then what happened?" The angry widow included a psalm of revenge on the plaque, Psalms 109:7, along with a motif of a wailing woman. She hoped the killer would feel guilty when he came to church and saw the message. Did the suspect ever return to atone for his actions? Was Niels' demise indeed a homicide, or merely just a drowning accident? While we stood alone in the quiet church contemplating these questions, the door shuttered. We wondered if it was just the wind, or perhaps Trine, still waiting to avenge her husband's death. Overall we couldn't imagine a better place to connect with our history, and to appreciate the beauty of this impressive old church. With that, our hour had come, and we had to depart Aurland to rejoin our (live) family. .

Borgund stavechurch is without a doubt one of the most beautiful stavechurches in Norway. It should…read moredefinitely be on your list og destinations. I've never been on the guided tour here, but just walking around enjoying the architecture and the mountainview around it is lovely. There's fields with sheep and lambs around and you get a proper view of the Norwegian cultural landscape as well. The giftshop also has a lot of interesting gifts and souvenirs!

Really cool church well worth the rather long drive out to it. Don't be fooled by the name "Borgund…read moreStave Church," it is actually quite a ways outside of Borgund! Not having a GPS, I kept driving and driving and thought I had missed it, but it's out there! Just keep going until you see it right off the road. Parallel to the main road is a scenic route that is AMAZING! So much better than the main road. There are plenty of exits for the scenic route from the main route, so plan for another hour or two to allow yourself time to take the scenic route. It runs by rivers, deep gorges, and dark tunnels. The church itself is neat, but they charge you to enter the grounds! I believe admission includes entrance to the museum inside the visitor's center as well.

This was the last stop on our City Troll Train Tour. Just to see a church form the 12th century was…read moreincredible. The inside is closed off but, you can see through the bars and get a good view. Try to stroll the cemetery as you will see some very old head stones.

Fires angels and…read moreexplosions Nykirken is a cool old church that was originally built in 1621 on a plot of land that had a building on it from at least the 1300s and probably longer. The first church only last two years before it burned down but was quickly rebuilt. However the church seemed to particularly susceptible to fire and subsequently burned down in 1670, 1758 and 1800. It was always rebuilt and seemed to be fine until 1944 when the church as well as most of the city of Bergen was destroyed when a German ship exploded nearby. The structure was rebuilt and seems to be doing just fine at the present although who knows what the future holds. The church is lovely inside with a huge organ and beautiful windows as well as a cool lugubriousity curiously juxtaposed with a cheery and bright décor. There is a really bizarre but cool angel that comes up and down from the ceiling and all kinds of wonderful stuff to look at. A special sort of church that has a fascinating history of perseverance and dedication. Hopefully this present incarnation of the building will be able to last the decades without any future catastrophes.

This large church in Bergen's old district serves as a landmark visible around much of the city…read more The church dates back to the 1600s and feels imposing over the city's wooden buildings. Inside, it's beautiful and has a large number of decorations from local children which adds a nice touch.

Historical church that's worth a look at if you're in the area. It's free but the opening hours are…read moreextremely limited, so make sure you plan ahead if you wish to enter inside!