Historic Churches 2018

BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON HISTORIC CHURCHES 25 TH ANNUAL EDITION 39 Interior: calvary group and paintings As previously noted, The Stave Church Preservation Programme also identified that some repair works were needed internally to the building’s celtic and viking style art and décor, with one particular sculpture targeted for preservation as a matter of priority, the wooden calvary group. The 12th-century sculpture is the oldest and best preserved of its kind in Europe. It represents a wooden carving of Jesus Christ hanging on the cross flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist, and is suspended from the ceiling inside the church. As an original example of medieval art in a designated world heritage site, a strict policy of consolidation without retouching was adopted, in accordance with the Management Guidelines for the World Cultural Heritage Sites . Consolidation without retouching means that the object marked for preservation must be handled carefully, with as few changes made to the original material as possible. Under these directions, the fragile calvary group was given a protective coating of varnish to increase its longevity. Some flaking paint on the wooden figures was noted but not restored. Due to the sculpture’s elevated position and the poor lighting in the church, the surface deterioration has minimal impact on its appearance, and visitors can appreciate it as a work of art. Other key preservation works to the church’s interior included the consolidation of every one of its wall paintings (illustrated on the next page). The paintings, many of which date back to the 17th century, were gently dry cleaned with a soft brush to reduce or remove surface deposits of dust and dirt. No water or cleaning agent was used as this could have inflicted unnecessary damage and might have accelerated deterioration of the distemper. Once the cleaning was complete, the paintings were consolidated with a traditional adhesive made from sturgeon. This particularly fine form of fish glue, which is vapour permeable, acts as a protective layer and will help to preserve the wall paintings for many years to come. URNES STAVE CHURCH: MOVING FORWARD Another of The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage’s key aims when implementing The Stave Church Preservation Programme was to fill in the gaps in the information documented about stave churches and to ensure that The calvary group after conservation (Photo: Birger Lindstad) they can be actively used by the public as a source of knowledge and pleasure. Throughout the course of the programme, much new and useful information was discovered in relation to the construction, repair and conservation of stave churches. Since the programme ended in 2015, this has been collated in the 2016 book Preserving The Stave Churches: Craftsmanship and Research, edited by former Director for The Directorate for Cultural Heritage, Kristin Bakken, and in a series of research articles also by the organisation. The book can be obtained through The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage directly. These resources have improved Norway’s academic understanding of some of its most interesting buildings, paved the way for further research world-wide and established the information resource needed to help maintain them in future. Indeed, the preservation programme deliberately used local craftspeople and other expertise throughout the project, to ensure that those with detailed knowledge of the stave churches’ preservation requirements would be on hand to assist with future maintenance. Since the project’s completion, Urnes stave church has been primarily used for tourism and attracts thousands of visitors a year according to The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage, although any activity Elevation showing cross-section of the nave at Urnes stave church from the east. Subsidence on the church’s north side is indicated by a red arrow and the calvary group is visible in its elevated position. (Drawing by Einar Oscar Schou)