History

The Rosechurth with herspecial decorations

 This white octagonal church was built in 1789 and has a very special interior. The walls, columns, ceiling, and gallery are painted with garlands of acanthus and grape vines and stylized flowers in bright yellow and blue. In addition to the garlands and flowers there are scenes from the Bible. This style of painting is based on traditional "rose painting" from Hallingdal, an area further south in Norway and this is why the old church in Stordal is called the "Rose Church".

Previously there was an old stave church from around 1300 AD on this site. By 1788 the stave church was dilapidated and too small for the congregation. The priest Ebbe Carsten Tønder designed a new church with an octagonal plan with a rectangular chancel (to the east) and porch (to the west) as extensions to the octagon.

According to tradition, the farmers from Stordal felled the timber themselves and built the church on a voluntary basis. Some building materials from the old stave church were reused in the Rose Church, such as the pews and the ceiling in the porch, which show traces of old traditional paintwork. The main columns, the font, and parts of the pulpit are also from the stave church. The church was painted internally by travelling craftsmen in 1799 - Vebjørn Hamarsbøen og Ole Reinholt. The style these painters used - baroque renaissance - was already outdated when the paintings were executed but the exuberant patterns and colours still appeal to us today.

The murals are divided into three horizontal bands, with black and white drapery on a grey background at the bottom, garlands and roses in the middle, and scenes from the Bible at the top. On the wall to the north, we find Jesus between the five wise and the five foolish virgins, then Samson and the lion, and lastly David and Goliath. The four evangelists are depicted over the choir opening, and along the south wall we can see Jesus, clad in blue, together with the twelve apostles. On the ceiling above the aisle is a greyish blue sky, with stars, the sun, and the moon. On the ceiling above the pews where the women sat, we can find a stern face watching over the women below. In the aisle hangs a votive ship from the early 17th century (among the oldest in the country) and on the north wall close to the font is a beautiful crucifix from the 13th century. The altar has a crucifixion group with carved and painted figures, where Jesus is flanked by Maria and the apostle John, while angels guard the outer edges.

Around 1900 the priest wanted to extend, or preferably, demolish the church. The architect Jens Zetlitz Monrad Kielland fortunately understood the qualities of the existing building and he persuaded the priest to build a new church further down the valley. The old church was donated to the National Trust of Norway, who took over in 1908 and have cared for the church ever since.