Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(45 kr/person, 300-kr minimum, call 97 07 53 97 in summer or 61 21 73 00 in
winter).
Visiting the Church:
Buy your ticket and go inside to take in the humble
interior
(stillusedbylocalsforservices—noticethepostedhymnalnumbers).
Men sat on the right, women on the left, and prisoners sat with the sheriff in
the caged area in the rear. Standing in the middle of the nave, look overhead
to see the earliest surviving parts of the church, such as the circle of X-shaped
St. Andrew crosses and the Romanesque arches above them. High above the
door (impossible to see without a flashlight—ask a docent to show you) is an
old painting of a dragon- or lion-like creature—likely an old Viking symbol,
possibly drawn here to smooth the forced conversion local pagans made to
Christianity. When King Olav II (later to become St. Olav) swept through this
valley in 1021, he gave locals an option: convert or be burned out of house
and home.
On the white town flag, notice the spoon—a symbol of Lom. Because of
its position nestled in the mountains, Lom gets less rainfall than other towns,
so large spoons were traditionally used to spread water over the fields. The
apse (behind the altar) was added in 1240, when trendy new Gothic cathedrals
made an apse a must-have accessory for churches across Europe. Lepers came
to the grilled window in the apse for a blessing. When the Reformation hit in
1536, the old paintings were whitewashed over. The church has changed over
the years: Transepts, pews, and windows were added in the 17th century. And
the circa-1720 paintings were done by a local priest's son.
Drop into the
gift shop/church museum
in the big black building in
the parking lot. Its one-room exhibit celebrates 1,000 years of the stave
church—interesting if you follow the loaner English descriptions. Inside
you'll find a pair of beautiful model churches, headstones and other artifacts,
andtheonlysurvivingstave-church dragon-head“steeple.” Inthedisplaycase
near the early-1900s organ, find the little pencil-size stick carved with runes,
datingfromaround1350.It'sactuallyaloveletterfromawould-besuitor.The
woman rejected him, but she saved them both from embarrassment by hiding
the stick under the church floorboards beneath a pew...where it was found in
1973. (Docents inside the church like to show off a replica of this stick.)
