Urnes Stave Church

Once popular throughout the northwestern Europe, stave churches can now only be found in Norway. These elaborately carved wooden churches act as a bridge between Christianity and the medieval Viking traditions. Urnes stave church is the oldest one in the country (built around 1130 CE), and understandably a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Serenely overlooking Lusterfjord (one of the arms of Sognefjord), the church’s distinct “Urnes-style” has become a reference point when it comes to animal-ornamentation in churches.