Lom Stave Church

The church was enlarged in the seventeenth century and has undergone no major changes since. A roof turret and spire were added in 1634, together with transepts and a sacristy. In the 1660s, the nave was extended westwards with a log-built addition. The churchyard is enclosed by high stone walls, with roofed gateways at the front and rear of the church. The interior is bright, with large window openings. The nave has no painted decoration, while the chancel is strongly characterised by seventeenth-century decoration featuring simple geometric shapes and ornamentation. High on the gable wall, two large lions are painted in tar. Runic inscriptions can also be seen high on the wall before the chancel screen. The pews are simple and painted blue. The altarpiece dates from 1669; its frame was altered in 1721, when two angels were added. The pulpit, decorated with carved acanthus foliage from the 1790s, is the work of Jacob Sæterdalen, who also made the chancel arch at the same time. A carved and painted wooden chandelier from 1664 hangs in the centre of the nave. Each side aisle has two metal chandeliers, one medieval and the other a copy. A carved medieval plank is now attached to the parish clerk’s seat. Excavations beneath the church floor in the early 1970s yielded 2,245 coins, the largest collection of coins ever found together in Norway. Other finds included pilgrim badges from Bari, paper fragments containing portions of two Masses dated to the twelfth century, and a parchment scroll bearing the words and musical notation for sixteen verses of a hymn to Thomas Becket. The text survives in five handwritten copies, of which the Lom copy is the oldest. Four rune sticks were also found beneath the floor. The most intriguing has become known as the “Marriage Proposal,” in which a man asks for a young woman’s hand.