| Kaupanger Stave Church | |
|---|---|
| Kaupanger stavkyrkje | |
 View of the church | |
 | |
| 61°11′03″N 7°14′00″E / 61.1842071450°N 7.233420163311°E | |
| Location | Sogndal Municipality, Vestland |
| Country | Norway |
| Denomination | Church of Norway |
| Previous denomination | Catholic Church |
| Churchmanship | Evangelical Lutheran |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | 11th century |
| Consecrated | c. 1140 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Long church |
| Completed | c. 1140 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 125 |
| Materials | Wood |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Bjørgvin bispedømme |
| Deanery | Sogn prosti |
| Parish | Kaupanger |
| Type | Church |
| Status | Automatically protected |
| ID | 84766 |
Kaupanger Stave Church (Norwegian: Kaupanger stavkyrkje) is the largest stave church in Vestland county, Norway. It is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Sogndal Municipality and it is located in the village of Kaupanger, on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden. It is the church for the Kaupanger parish which is part of the Sogn prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The brown, wooden church was built in the mid-12th century (around 1140) and it has been in use ever since that time. The church seats about 125 people.[1][2]
The church is a Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site and it is owned by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments. The nave is supported by 22 staves (large bearing columns), eight on each of the longer sides and three on each of the shorter. The elevated chancel is carried by four free standing staves. The church has the largest number of staves to be found in any one stave church. It is the largest of the five stave churches in Sogn og Fjordane county.[3][4]
- ^ "Kaupanger stavkyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ "Kaupanger stavkyrkje" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
- ^ Henden Aaraas, Margrethe; Vengen, Sigurd; Gjerde, Anders. "Kaupanger stavkyrkje" (in Norwegian). Fylkesarkivet. Retrieved 11 December 2019.