Norway was christened in 1030, and so this Viking's sacred place became a catholic one.
Now this church is one of the last stone churches in northern Norway. It was built in the middle of the 1100s. The walls are made of marble, maybe even a local one because there is an marble area nearby.
The church is dedicated to Saint Thomas. The piece of cloth on the alter says: "Praiy for us, Saint Thomas!"
He is also the fishermen's saint and it may be a connection to Thomas from Canterbury.
A very special appearance are the "cages" in the church. These were reservated for the rich people of this area, to sit away from the commen people. There are either benches or chairs to sit inside. At the back of the church there is a baptising cage, for the newborns; they were not allowed to enter the community before they were baptised.
Another - for me - unknown object is the hour glass on the alter. This was ment for the minister to see how long he can speak in his speech. People were complaining because there were some ministers who were "famous" for talking for ages.
Thank you for this charming & rich description, which is not too long and not too short, but just the right size ;)
SvarSlettThank you for your interesting description.
SvarSlettIt is very interesting for me because I wrote about the same church, but I focussed on different things.
You made a really clear description, there is new information that I learn with your post! :)
SvarSlettA lot of useful information for people who are interested into the history of the church and want to know more about it.
SvarSlett