Mære Church

Mære Church
Mære kirke

View of the church
Mære Church
Location in Nord-Trøndelag
Coordinates: 63°56′02″N 11°23′41″E / 63.9338°N 11.3947°E / 63.9338; 11.3947
Location Steinkjer, Nord-Trøndelag
Country Norway
Denomination Church of Norway
Churchmanship Evangelical Lutheran
Architecture
Status Parish church
Functional status Active
Completed c. 1150
Specifications
Capacity 250
Materials Stone
Administration
Parish Mære
Deanery Nord-Innherad
Diocese Diocese of Nidaros

Mære Church (Norwegian: Mære kirke) is a parish church in the municipality of Steinkjer in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Mære. The church is part of the Mære parish in the Nord-Innherad deanery in the Diocese of Nidaros. The church is famous for its medieval roof with heads (human, beast and mythological) projecting from the top of its walls.

The stone church likely dates to between 1150 and 1200. This is suggested by stylistic dating of its dedicatory inscription as well as coins dating from the reign of King Sverre (1183-1202) found during excavations. The pagan site buried under the church may possibly be the one referred to in the Icelandic Landnámabók Chapter 297.

The floor of the church was excavated in 1969,[1] and found to contain the remains of a pagan cult structure. The nature of that structure was not clear. Lidén felt this represented the remains of a building, but a critique by Olsen (1969:26) in the same work suggested this may have be been a site for pole worship. A recent review of the evidence by Walaker Norddide 2011: 107-113)[2] concluded that this site was similar to the site in Hove (Åsen, also in Nord-Trøndelag) and was therefore likely the site of a ceremonial pole.

Several renovations and restorations have been undertaken over the years, most recently in the 1960s.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lidén, Hans-Emil. 1969. From Pagan Sanctuary to Christian Church, the Excavation of Mære Church in Trøndelag. Norwegian Archaeological Review. (1969) 2, pg 3-32
  2. ↑ Walaker Nordeide, Sæbjorg. 2011. The Viking Age As a Period of Religious Transformation: The Christianization of Norway from AD 560 to 1150/1200. ISBN 2503534805 Brepols Publishers
  3. ↑ "Mære kirke" (in Norwegian). Steinkjerleksikonet. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
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