Another visit to church

Older and slightly less dramatic than the Cologne Cathedral I posted about last month, the stave churches of Norway are, in their own way, much more impressive even if based on their longevity alone. They are actually quite beautiful as well.
According to wiki, "Stave churches were once common in Northern Europe. In Norway alone, a total of about 1000 churches are believed to have been built, although more recent research has adjusted this number upwards, and it is now assumed to have been closer to 2000." Of those, 28 remain standing. One of the most famous is Borgund which was built at the end of the 1100s and has not been significantly reconstructed or changed since.
They are built entirely of wood, and the ones that still stand, sit on stone sills. Older ones were built by pounding wood posts directly into the ground, but after some years, the wood would rot away. The post holes are still identifiable, but the churches are long gone.

The Gol Stavkirke at the Norwegian Folkmuseum is the one I have seen up close and personal.