Kvernes Stave Church

The Northern Fjords


This beautifully sited stave church about 26km south of Kristiansund dates from 1300, but has been repaired since. The interior is richly decorated: look out for the amazing 300-year-old model ship and unusual 15th-century altarpiece, with the Virgin Mary figuring prominently: Catholic to the core. While many such altarpieces were destroyed at the time of the Reformation, this one luckily survived, although a stylised Lutheran surround was added in 1695.

More luck: the church narrowly escaped demolition when the larger one beside it was erected in 1893.


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