Skjak Church The Sensitive Carpenter

Located in Oppland County along the Otta River, this beautifully crafted Christian church in Skjåk Norway was completed in 1752. As a log timber constructed church it is a fine example of the wood craftsmanship found in many inland rural areas of Norway at the time. The area has a rich cultural heritage and is known to have been heavily settled during the Viking era. The area is known for its historical trade route as a low lying valley. The rainfall has to be supplemented by irrigation for farming due to its extremely low annual precipitation, ranked as one of the lowest in Europe. Keep in mind, however, lack of rainfall or snow does not equate to temperature. It is still cold during the winter months.

What makes this church particularly intriguing is that it was built by a 25 year-old architect / carpenter by the name of Ole Rasmussen Holø. In addition to his skills, nine of the best carpenters in the entire rural valley were entrusted with the construction. He was so picky and meticulous about his carpentry style and craftmanship he removed and rebuilt several of the details the other carpenters had completed. The steeple was erected at night to avoid onlooker criticism. It is recorded that he would not put up with any criticism nor ridicule of his work.

The interior furnishings are some of the finest woodworking carvings and paintings in all of Norway. The church was constructed during the Baroque period in Norway when decorative folk art painting known as Rosemåling was originating in Norway's rural valleys.

Follow this link to see more: http://www.pinterest.com/livperschon/rosemaling/

Norway is particularly boastful of the artwork's origin though that has often been disputed by their Swedish counterparts. The decorative painting was almost always done on wood as is the case in this church interior. What makes it also unique is that no two pieces of work are ever exactly the same. It is an individual art form. Rosemaling uses stylized flower ornamentation, scrollwork, geometric lines and elements in flowing patterns and is said to contain in its very existence the magic and culture of Norwegian history dating back to the Viking era. A total of 23 well defined painted areas in this church interior still exist. Exhibits of these same craftsman's hand-painting work are on display at the Oslo Historical Museum.