Hopperstad Stave Church

Welcome to the beautiful Hopperstad Stave Church in the small village Vik!

This church represents a unique blend of Norse tradition and Christian faith, and its architectural details and decorations provide a fascinating insight into medieval Norway.

When Vik’s new church was completed in 1877, the old churches in Vik were at risk of being demolished. The National Trust of Norway (Fortidsminneforeningen) purchased Hopperstad Stave Church from Vik Municipality for NOK 600. The church was in a very poor state—its extensions and furnishings had already been removed, leaving only the medieval portions of the church intact.

The church as it stands today is the result of a remarkable restoration project during the 1880s and 1890s.

Architect Peter Andreas Blix (1831–1901), , came to Vik in 1881 after purchasing Hove Stone Church with his own funds. He embarked on an ambitious project to restore the churches in Vik. Blix’s approach was marked by deep respect for the historical integrity of the buildings and relied on authentic materials and methods. His goal was to recreate Hopperstad Stave Church as it appeared in the Middle Ages. Where Blix lacked specific references, he largely used Borgund Stave Church as a model.

Today, the church appears as a classic stave church, with a semicircular apse, outer galleries along the walls, steeply pitched shingled roofs, and roof ridges adorned with carved dragon heads.

In Hopperstad Stave Church, as in many other stave churches, the portals are among the most remarkable and decorated parts of the building. The carvings on the portals are rich in symbolism and tell stories from Christian faith and Norse mythology. The western portal in Hopperstad Stave Church is one of the oldest preserved dragon portals in Norway.

An architectural rarity in the church is the baldachin, an altar canopy or ciborium, which rests on two freestanding columns over a side altar in the nave. It is decorated with carvings and Gothic imagery, likely dating from the first half of the 13th century. This altar canopy is one of the best-preserved of its kind in the Nordic countries.

Hopperstad Stave Church is the only stave church where the medieval chancel screen wall is still intact.