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Fantoft Stave Church, Bergen, Norway

Fantoft Stave Church (Norwegian: Fantoft stavkirke) is a reconstructed stave church in Fana, Bergen, Norway. It was originally built in Fortun, a village near inner (the eastern end of) Sognefjord around the year 1150. In the 19th century the church was threatened by demolition, as were hundreds of other stave churches in Norway. The church was bought by consul F. Gade and saved by moving it in pieces to Fantoft near (now in) Bergen in 1883.

 

On 6 June 1992 the church was destroyed by arson, the first in a series of church burnings related to the early Norwegian black metal scene. The fire was initially thought to have been caused by lightning or an electrical failure. The burnt remains of the church appear on the cover of a 1993 Burzum album Aske. According to Varg Vikernes, the sole member of Burzum, the church was burned as an act of retaliation on the Judeo-Christian religion for placing a Christian church on the sacred grounds.

 

More information on stave churches can be found on Wikipedia.

 

Handheld HDR from three exposures. Processed and colormapped using Photomatix.

 

Seen on #34 in Explore (see history).

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Uploaded on February 2, 2009
Taken on January 25, 2009