Borgund Stave Church: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2026 Week 34 theme: "Long-Lasting"

 

Borgund Stave Church - photo by author 28 May 2026

The Borgund Stavkyrkje in Lærdal, Sogn og Fjordane had been added to my "must-see" list for a visit to Norway after discovering a few years ago that I had ancestors from there. When we visited there earlier this year, it surpassed all my expectations and will form a long-lasting memory.

My Borgund ancestors are from earlier lines of my Dad's paternal grandmother Anna Elton (1849-1938). Anna emigrated with her  parents to America in 1854 from Vang/ Øye region in Norway's Valdres Valley, Oppland.  The distance between Borgund and Vang is about 50 km. Anna's grandmother Synneve Haakensdatter Kvamme, born at Øvre Kvamme (farm), Borgund was baptised at the Borgund Stave Church on 23 September 1791. Somehow she had managed the 50 km. trek by 7 August 1814 when she married Knud Emdressen Haalien at Øye, Vang in Oppland. (Interestingly, there is another stave church at Øye but that and the Vang area will have to await another visit.)

A map shows the geographical connections of the relevant areas.

Google Earth map showing locations of Borgund, Hatleberg, Kvamme, Oye, and Vang

1791 birth and baptism of Synneve Haagensdr at Borgens (Borgund), Laerdal

Kvamme stones at Borgund cemetery - perhaps distant relatives? photo by author 28 May 2026 

There may have been long-lasting family or community interactions between the two areas since Knud himself had third great grandparents from the Borgund area. In his case it was to the family farming the Hatleberg farm not far from the Borgund Stave Kirke: Anders Anderson Hatleberg (1612-1692) and his wife Gunvor Olsdatter. We drove past Hatleberg on our way to Borgund.

Hatleberg, Laerdal, Norway, photo by author 28 May 2026

Although the church books for Borgund do not begin until 1711, there are some census records available before that time, at least for the male half of the population.

1666 census (male) for Hatleberg in Borgund, Laerdal: Anders Anderson 53 and his 3 sons ages 4-20

Aside from records of my long ago ancestors in the Borgund area, the physical long-lasting evidence for the lives of all the people who called Borgund Stave Church "their" church is in the church itself. Dating from between 1150-1180, it has been a long-lasting feature of the community from medieval times. The pine trees used for the staves are believed to have been 150 to 300 years old when they were cut, making the trees themselves really long-lasting now. What stories they could tell!

The steeply pitched roofline highlighted with dragon heads is reflective of the Viking age while interior motifs are primarily Christian. Saint Andrew Crosses date from Pre-Reformation Catholic times. After the Reformation, the church was the parish church for the Lutheran Norwegian Church.

Looking up inside the Borgund Stave Kirke to the Saint Andrew Crosses, photo by author 28 May 2026

Even when it was decided in the 1800's that a "new" Borgund Church was needed, the historical relevance of this ancient stave church was appreciated. It was taken over in 1868 by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments which continues to preserve it and make it available for public visits. 

Metal collection tin inside Borgund Stave Kirke, photo by author 28 May 2026

The "New" Borgund Church (1868) sits just south of the stave church, photo by author 28 May 2026

Another feature on the site is the free-standing stave bell tower that covers the remains of the foundry where the church bell was cast; the bell tower itself is probably mid 13th century. 

Stave bell tower, photo by author 28 May 2026

The Borgund site acts as a physical connection to this long-lasting community of people who have called  this beautiful part of Norway their home. 

Author in front of Borgund Stave Kirke, 28 May 2026, photo B.G. Barnard

Suggested Resources:

• https://www.kringom.no/en/laerdal/borgund-stave-church
• https://www.stavechurch.com/borgund-stave-church/?lang=en
• Norwegian digital archives for church records and census information can be found at https://www.digitalarkivet.no/en/