{{Short description|Church building in Ål, Buskerud, Norway}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2019}} 250px|thumb|Torpo Stave Church 250px|thumb|Torpo Church and Torpo Stave Church '''Torpo Stave Church''' ({{langx|no|Torpo stavkyrkje}}) is a stave church located in Torpo, a small village in Ål municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. Torpo is located along Norwegian National Road 7, the Norwegian national road which runs between Oslo and Bergen.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.olavsrosa.no/objektinfo.aspx?id=27023 |title=''Torpo stavkirke'' (Olavsrosa) |access-date=10 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716201708/http://www.olavsrosa.no/objektinfo.aspx?id=27023 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>
== History == Built in 1192, the Torpo Stave Church is the oldest building within the valley and traditional district of Hallingdal. The church was dedicated to Saint Margareta. The stave church was purchased by the municipality in 1875. It was initially planned to expand it with an annex to the east, but in 1879 it was decided instead to modernize the interior with new ceiling and gallery. Following protest from the Ancient Monuments Society (Fortidsminneforeningen), the municipality decided to build a new church (''Torpo Kyrkje'') on the adjacent property. The new church was built north of the old one with the two churches standing side by side.<ref>[http://niku.pdc.no/index.php?seks_id=49790&m=7 ''Torpo Kirke'' (Norsk Institutt for kulturminneforskning)]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>[http://www.duo.uio.no/publ/IFIKK/2007/57728/Hovedoppgavexferdigstiltxsammenslxtt.pdf ''Middelaldermaleriet i Torpo stavkirke'' (University of Oslo, 2007)]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
=== Runic inscription N 110 === The Torpo Stave Church is one of two stave churches that are signed by their craftsmen, the other being the church at Ål. In both churches a runic inscription reads: ''Thorolf built this church''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.reuber-norwegen.de/Buskerud/BilderTab_BuskerudAlTorpo.html |title=''Ål kommune: Torpo stavkirke / Torpo Stabkirche og Torpo kyrkje'' (Bilder av stavkirken) |access-date=10 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622123904/http://www.reuber-norwegen.de/Buskerud/BilderTab_BuskerudAlTorpo.html |archive-date=22 June 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> The full runic inscription in the Torpo Stave Church, which is listed as '''N 110''' in the Rundata catalog, reads: :§A '''þorolfr : gærþi : kirku þesa ÷: askrimr ÷ hakon ÷ ælikr ÷ pal ¶ æinriþi ÷ siønti ÷ þorolfr''' :§B '''þorer ÷ ræist''' :§C '''olafr'''<ref name="N110">[http://www.nordiska.uu.se/forskn/samnord.htm Project Samnordisk Runtextdatabas Svensk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807043328/http://www.nordiska.uu.se/forskn/samnord.htm |date=7 August 2011 }} – Rundata entry for N 110.</ref> This translates as "Þórolfr made this church. Ásgrímr, Hákon, Erlingr, Páll, Eindriði, Sjaundi, Þórulfr. Þórir carved. Ólafr."<ref name="N110" />
==Gallery== <gallery mode='packed'> Torpo stavkirke 03040024.jpg|Torpo Stave Church<br />Main portal JLM4Torpo.jpg|Torpo Stave Church<br />South portal Torpo03040028.jpg|Torpo Stave Church<br />Interior Torpo03040031.jpg|Torpo Stave Church<br />Interior Torpo Stavkyrke, Hallingdal, portaldetalj.jpg|Torpo Stave Church<br />Interior detail JLM3Torpo.jpg|Torpo Stave Church<br />Exterior JLM1Torpo.JPG|Torpo Stave Church<br />Exterior Torpo stavkyrkje.jpeg|Torpo Church and Torpo Stave Church (1880–1890) </gallery>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Further reading == * Bugge Gunnar. ''Stavkirker, Stave Churches in Norway'' (Dreyers Forlag. Oslo: 1983) {{ISBN|82-504-2072-1}} * Christie, Sigrid and Haakon. ''Norges kirker – Buskerud'' (Norske Mindesmerker. Oslo: 1981) {{ISBN|82-05-13123-6}} * Dietrichson, Lorentz. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=7YS0AAAAIAAJ Norske Stavkirker: Studier Over Deres System, Oprindelse Og Historiske Udvikling]'' (Kristiania: 1892) New edition: (Gregg Publishing; 1971) {{ISBN|0-576-19100-0}} * Leif Anker (2005) ''The Norwegian Stave Churches'' (Oslo: Arfo Forlag) {{ISBN|978-8291399294}}
== External links == {{Commons}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20050214012157/http://stavkirke.org/stavkirker/torpo.html Torpo Stave Church in Stavkirke.org] * [http://visanor.com/galleri/index/module/search/pId/104/keyword/-%20Torpo/phrase/ Torpo Stave Church photo gallery]
{{Stave churches}} {{Authority control}} {{Coord|60|39|51|N|8|42|30|E|region:NO-06_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki|display=title}}
Category:Ål Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1192 Category:Churches in Buskerud Category:Runic inscriptions Category:Buildings and structures owned by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments Category:Stave churches in Norway