Norwegian Lifestyle

Regardless of religion, thousands of tourists visit churches in Norway every year. The architectural and historical values are undeniable. There’s even church tours.

Ancient history shows that, in the beginning, Norwegian people were Norse pagan. From 1000 A.C. Norway began to be christianized by missionaries. They became Catholic until the Lutheran reform took place. Nowadays, fewer and fewer Norwegians consider themselves religious.

I like to visit churches because it makes me feel good. I used to do it in Rio de Janeiro to pray, meditate, find inner peace and optimism.

The traditional churches are my favorite. There are basically two kinds I like the most: stave churches (made of wood, from Viking times) and stone ones (cathedral or small).

Note: This post contains Affiliate Marketing links at the bottom. This means if you click on the links and make a purchase I may get a commission. They are books I recommend about Norway Stave Churches and one puzzle (I love puzzles and they are perfect for stormy weather). 

Here I list which Norwegian churches I’ve been that are worth a visit. Enjoy! 🙂

Lom Stave Church. The famous Stave Churches in Norway are those made of wood in a shape of a boat upside down, from Viking times, around 1100 century. One of them is located in Lom and I love it. I’ve visited this church many times and I always keep coming back. It’s open for visitors from April until September. Some of you already know my passion for the city of Lom from a previous post: You can read it here .  It’s definitely worth visiting.

Urnes Stave Church. It’s one of the oldest stave churches, maybe the oldest. It’s located in Vestlandet county, by a fjord called Lustrafjorden. This county, together with Sogn og Fjordane and Innlandet are famous for their beautiful greenish water. This carving (picture below) on the outside of the church shows snakes and dragons representing the end of the world due to war and submersion under water, to reborn as a peaceful place. It’s according to the Norse legend of the Ragnarök. (link to wikipedia).

Sola Ruinkyrkje. It has been destroyed many times, but rebuilt again. Last time was during WWII. It’s impressive to see the numbered stones building the arch. They are actually original and, like a puzzle or a Lego, were withdrawn and put in place again. In all, it’s 900 years architectural history.

Stavanger Domkirke. It’s the main church downtown. From inside, it’s even more beautiful. I see the windows and they look like those in Snow White’s castle, from the film. It’s still in full use for weddings, confirmations and other celebrations.

St. Svithun church. It’s the catholic church in Stavanger. When I moved to Stavanger, I looked for a catholic church, which is what I was used to in Brazil. I found one, downtown. It’s huge. In order to get there, I took the bus and had to walk up a small hill. It wasn’t easy to find it, as I was a newcomer. When I finally got there, what a disappointment: it was closed. The doors were locked. In the middle of the day!!! Even in Brazil, with all the violence, the big churches in the city were always open during the day. I was so disappointed. However, this is Norway: other rules, other patterns. The catholic cathedral is quite international. There are weekly masses in Spanish, Polish, Vietnamese, English and Norwegian.

 

Tromsø catholic church. It’s small and simple, located downtown in Tromsø. Super cozy. My family and I had a very welcoming experience there. The priest was celebrating the three kings, in January 6th 2020. The moment we entered, he told us to come closer, all the way to the altar, and gave me the missal. I saw people from all ethnicities there. Mostly families with children.

Utstein klosterkirke. It’s a former monastery, located in Rennesøy municipality, Rogaland county. Nowadays, it’s a museum with music concerts and even theater plays. Very interesting to visit. The location is also beautiful, by the sea, among farms.

Nidaros Cathedral, in Trondheim. This church is impressive. I went there in 2013. It was a beautiful Summer day. We didn’t have time to enter, but I was told that the outside is the most important to visit. It is indeed impressive. It reminded me of Notre Dame, in Paris and Duomo Cathedral in Milan.