Hopperstad stavkirke

( Hopperstad Stave Church )

Description

Hopperstad Stave Church (Norwegian: Hopperstad stavkyrkje) is a historic parish church of the Church of Norway in the village of Vikøyri in Vik Municipality in Vestland county. It was historically the church for the Hopperstad parish in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The brown, wooden stave church was built during the 12th century. The church seats about 30 people.

The stave church is assumed to have been built around the year 1130 and still stands at its original location. The church is one of the oldest stave churches still standing in Norway. The church is currently owned by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments.

There is a replica of the Hopperstad Stave Church at the Heritage Hjemkomst Center in the city of Moorhead in the state of Minnesota in the United States. It was consecrated in 1998. The replica church is part of a larger complex that includes a museum and Scandinavian heritage center.