When Uvdal Stave church was finished in 1168 it had a nave that was five metres wide and six metres long. This nave is the only remaining structure from the original church. The westward extension was most likely constructed some time before 1350, when The Great Plague devastated the country. Wooden panels covering the outside were put up around 1760, and the last alteration was made in 1819 when a new sacristy was added north of the nave. This gave the priest a place to prepare and hear confessions from the congregation.
Uvdal Stave church is richly decorated, and has unique traditional paintings and wood carvings. The original décor is still visible on the ceiling and on the walls, and most of the original furnishings from the 17th and 18th centuries have been kept. This makes it one of the most interesting stave churches that is open to the public.
In 1978, excavations were started under the church. As the floor was taken away and the soil underneath was removed, many interesting things were discovered about the building and the congregations that belonged to it. Ancient custom in Norway dictated that the priest had a right to be buried in the church, while others had to pay for such a privilege. In 1805 it became illegal to be buried under the church floor. The dryness of the ground underneath Uvdal Stave church has kept the bodies and their coffins in a reasonable condition, making it possible to study them. However, underneath the floor there were also a remarkable number of small bodies without coffins. One commonly espoused theory is that these were stillborns that did not qualify for a proper burial and that they were put here by grieving parents to ensure they were put to rest on holy ground.

OPENING HOURS: 1st June – 31st August