6 Churches to Explore in Vestland

Bergen Cathedral is a cathedral in the city of Bergen in Vestland county. It started as a church dedicated to Olav the Holy, Norway’s patron saint, around the year 1150.

It was the church for the Lærdal parish until 1868 when it was closed and turned into a museum. The brown, wooden church was built in a stave church style around the year 1200. The museum now run by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments.

Fantoft Stave Church is a reconstructed stave church in the Fana borough. The church was originally built around the year 1150 at Fortun in Sogn, later the church was bought by consul Fredrik Georg Gade and moved it in pieces to Fana near Bergen in 1883.

Hopperstad Stave Church is a historic parish church located in the village of Vikøyri. The brown, wooden stave church was built during the 12th century. The church seats about 30 people.

St. Mary's Church is a parish church located in Bergen. It is considered as the oldest existing building in Bergen. The church is from the first half of the 12th century, and one of the most outstanding Romanesque churches in the country.

Urnes Stave Church is a 12th-century stave church built on a basilica plan inspired by medieval Christian churches, with cylindrical columns and semi-circular arches inside. Urnes Stave Church was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.