FUNDS FROM THE CHURCH PRESERVATION FUND 

Hooray! We have been awarded 1,468,000 kroner from the Church Preservation Fund! 268,000 kroner will go to a knowledge project about Stiklestad Church, while 1,2 million will go to a 2-year pilot project for the establishment of a building conservation center at the Arven Museums. 

Both projects are a recognition of the systematic work that has been done within traditional crafts at Stiklestad National Cultural Center/Museene Arven over many years and the work with knowledge development on the occasion of the National Jubilee 2030. 

Photo: TA Creative

Knowledge project Stiklestad Church
Documentation and dating of the roof structure of Stiklestad Church
Stiklestad Church has a central place in Norwegian history through Saint Olav and the Battle of Stiklestad. Despite this, the church is one of the least researched and studied of the preserved stone churches from the Norwegian Middle Ages. In this project, we will focus on the roof and roof structure, which are among the best preserved roof structures from the Norwegian late Middle Ages. Roof structures in medieval churches are the oldest large wooden structures we have preserved in the country. They have great potential to contain knowledge about different construction phases, reconstructions and possible reuse of materials, and are a unique archive of medieval craft techniques, tool use and construction principles.
With funds from the Church Preservation Fund, we can now gain increased knowledge about the church that was built on the site where Olav fell in 1030.
The project is a collaborative project between Stiklestad National Cultural Center/Museene Arven, NIKU – Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research and NTNU Science Museum-National Laboratories for Dating.
The work should result in an article and is part of a larger book project about Stiklestad Church. The book project, which is formally launched this week with a reflection seminar, is owned by Verdal History Society and Stiklestad Parish Council, in close collaboration with Verdal Municipality. The goal is to develop new knowledge about both Stiklestad Church and the place Stiklestad from the Middle Ages to the present day on the occasion of the National Jubilee 2030. and the work will result in an article in the book.  

Building Conservation Center 

In addition, we received 1,2 million for a two-year pilot project on a regional building conservation center. The funds are part of a larger framework with several funding actors.
There is a need for a regional expertise environment that can coordinate, strengthen and further develop the work on building conservation in our area. The work will lay the foundation for a permanent, sustainable building conservation center at the Arven Museums.