13th century statue of St. Nicholas of Bari

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1354, but the church was not built that year. The wooden church is estimated to have been built between 1250 and 1300. The church has been remodeled a number of times over the years. To begin with, it was a relatively simple long church with a narrower choir. Charred remains of wood under the existing church indicate that there was a building on the site earlier, but nothing is known about that. In the 1600s, the inner walls of the church were decorated with murals. In 1700s, a tower was built on top of the roof over the nave. In 1826, the old choir was torn down and the church was extended to the east with a new choir that was the same width as the nave. In 1845, a new timber-framed choir was built to the east of the newly extended church and the choir area from 1826 was incorporated into the nave. At the same time, the church was paneled on the inside and got new interior furniture. In the 1920s, there was a restoration where the interior paneling and the relatively new false ceiling were removed. Also, the 17th century wall murals were uncovered and restored in colour and some of the ornamets from the Renaissance were uncovered. In the 2000s, the roof structure was repaired.[1][2][3][4]

Dedication

The church is dedicated to the traveler's patron, St. Nicholas of Bari. In the church there was a painted sculpture of St. Nicholas from the middle of the 12th century. According to a legend, every midsummer night she was carried to a nearby pond and immersed there. Today this sculpture is in the collection of the Kulturhistorisk Museum in Oslo. A copy of the sculpture is on display in the stave church.