As part of my efforts to make friends, I joined the PWC club in Stavanger (more on that later.) One of their regular activities is exploring different parts of the city. This week, I joined them on a guided tour of the Stavanger Cathedral.
Stavanger Domkirke is the oldest cathedral in all of Norway, with construction starting in 1100 and finishing somewhere around 1150 although the city uses 1125 as the year it was founded. Before this, the same location is thought to have been the site of rituals and sacrifice pre-Christianity in Norway and then a small church. The cathedral itself has undergone many renovations over the years - first in the late 1200's when Stavanger was ravaged by fire, again in the 1800's and finally again in the late 1900's.
Originally, the cathedral was built with a dirt floor. Wealthier patrons were able to purchase grave sites inside the church making the floor quite uneven due to graves and gravestones. Later, everyone was moved outside to a graveyard surrounding the cathedral and even later, moved again to a larger graveyard further away. The interior is a mix of Roman and Gothic styles and it features work by different Norwegian artists.
While it wasn't the most impressive cathedral I've ever been in, it's fascinating to learn about the early history of this city we get to call home.
Wow! It's beautiful and has such a fascinating history :) I know I've said this before, but I'd love to find a group like this in Jo'burg!
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Jenna
I agree, I think this cathedral is beautiful. I find it odd that it has a wooden floor and not stone however. And great idea to join this club- you get to learn more about the history of the area as well as have the opportunity to meet people :)
ReplyDeleteThe wooden floor was added once they removed the graves.
DeleteThose are some stout Romanesque columns! (says my inner art history student) Lovely. Can't wait to hear all about the PWC!
ReplyDeleteThat's so neat! What a cool experience.
ReplyDeleteI love that first picture Jay, with the hearts in the tree. Is that just part of a park?
ReplyDeleteYah, there's a small park there and then a little lake. The hearts showed up this fall - I'm not sure what they're there for but I like them!
Deletethat's such a beautiful place! and i hope the group works out well for you, i know how hard it can be to find good friends while living abroad : )
ReplyDeletehow cool! it's so funny - of course there are cathedrals in Norway, but I never thought about it because I always focused on Western Christianity for my studies and that's not included. I'd love to learn more! so glad you're starting to make connections :)
ReplyDeleteLove these photos! So glad you shared them...keep em coming!
ReplyDeleteThe cathedral always says a lot about a city's history, especially since it was the center of daily life hundreds of years ago. That's crazy about people wanting to be buried under the floor though!
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