Avaldsnes | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 View of St. Olav’s Church at Avaldsnes Johan Christian Dahl (1820) | |
  Avaldsnes Avaldsnes (Norway) Show map of Norway | |
| Coordinates:59°21′16″N05°16′37″E / 59.35444°N 5.27694°E /59.35444; 5.27694 | |
| Country | Norway |
| Region | Western Norway |
| County | Rogaland |
| District | Haugaland |
| Municipality | Karmøy |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.13 km2 (1.21 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 19 m (62 ft) |
| Population (2019)[1] | |
• Total | 2,890 |
| • Density | 923/km2 (2,390/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Post Code | 4262 Avaldsnes |
Avaldsnes is a village inKarmøy municipality inRogaland county,Norway. The village is located on the northeastern part of the island ofKarmøy, along theKarmsundet strait, just south of the town ofHaugesund. The village was an ancient centre of power on the west coast of Norway and is the site of one of Norway's more important areas of cultural history. The trading port ofNotow and theAvaldsnes Church are two notable historic sites in Avaldsnes.
The village was theadministrative centre of the oldmunicipality of Avaldsnes which existed from 1838 until 1965. The 3.13-square-kilometre (770-acre) village has a population (2019) of 2,890 and apopulation density of 923 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,390/sq mi).[1]
Avaldsnes has been described as "Norway's oldest capital" because it was the primary residency ofHarald Fairhair who unified Norway into one kingdom.[3]
Avaldsnes is believed to have been named after the legendary KingAugvald, who allegedly had his seat in the area surrounding theKarmsundet strait. It was here that there was an ancient centre of power at Avaldsnes. At this point, the shipping route is forced into a narrow passage that runs along Avaldsnes. It is likely this for this reason that such power and riches were generated through the ages. KingHarald Fairhair chose Avaldsnes for hismain royal estate in about 870 making it the oldest royal seat in Norway.[4]
According to legend,Olav Trygvason builtAvaldsnes Church, apparently as a manor chapel for the king's residence. This would probably have been quite a smallstave church. Construction of the present day church, called "St. Olav's Church of Avaldsnes" (Norwegian:Olavskirken) was started approximately 1250 AD, on the order of KingHåkon Håkonsson. It was not completed until nearly 1320. Dedicated toSt. Olav, it was one of the greatest Norwegian stone churches from theMiddle Ages and it was one of only four royal collegiate churches in Norway. The church was an important station of thePilgrim's Route toNidaros which ran along the coast.[5]
"Written sources indicate that Avaldsnes was the predecessor of the later establishedHansa kontor in Bergen", according to the website of theUniversity of Vienna.
The village was selected as themillennium site for Rogaland county.
Rich discoveries from prehistory have been made in the entire area. Reheia (also known as Blodheia) is located approximately 1 kilometre (1,100 yd) west of the Church. KingHarald I of Norway located his main farm at Avaldsnes in about 870. In 953, KingHaakon the Good fought a fierce battle at the Bloodheights (Slaget på Blodeheia ved Avaldsnes) against the sons of his half-brother KingEirik Bloodaxe. The forces of King Haakon won the battle and he would reign asKing of Norway until his death during 961.[6][7][8]
This site contains the only Norwegian example ofBronze Age burial mounds lined up in a row. A ship burial from the time of theMerovingian dynasty (approximately 680-750 AD) found here is the oldest ship burial uncovered within the Nordic countries.[9]
Storhaug (Great Mound), a ship's burial mound, can be found to the north of the royal estate at Avaldsnes. Excavation of this burial mound started in 1886. The ship at Storhaug was made of oak and was placed in a north–south orientation. Stone walls of approximately 1 metre (3.3 ft) in height and width were built around the great ship. The Storhaug ship is commonly described as a large oar-powered vessel, with a breadth of 2.5 to 6 metres (8 ft 2 in to 19 ft 8 in).[10]
Grønhaug (Green Mound), the site of another ship burial, is situated 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) north of the church site. It was examined byHaakon Shetelig in 1902, and contained an approximately 15-metre (49 ft) long boat with remains of a man's grave from the 10th century.Dendrochronological studies carried out in 2009 show that the ships from Oseberg, Grønhaug, and Storhaug along with the boat found at Storhaug were all built from oak from the same area of Southwest Norway.[11]
Flagghaugen (Flag Hill), from theOld Norse wordhaugr meaning hill or mound, is situated just north of the church. Originally it had a diameter of 43 metres (141 ft) and a height of 5 metres (16 ft), but it was flattened under the leadership of Pastor Lyder Brun in 1835. The mound turned out to be Norway's richest grave from the Roman period. The Avaldsnes find (Norwegian:Avaldsnesfunnet) contained a neck ring of 600grams (19 ozt) of pure gold, weapons,bandolier mountings and various Roman tubs of silver and bronze.[12]
Mary's Needle, known in Norwegian as the sewing needle of Virgin Mary (Norwegian:Jomfru Marias synål) is the only one remaining of several monumental stones which once stood around the church area. The stone has been somewhat taller, but, towering at 7.2 metres (24 ft) it is still the second largest of its kind in Norway. The stone leans in towards the church wall—the distance to the wall is in fact only 9.2 centimetres (3.6 in). A saga tells that "the day of Judgement will come when the stone comes into contact with the church wall". A popular story tells us about a minister in ages past who climbed the monument and cutting off a piece from the stone when it came dangerously near the church wall.
Nordvegen History Centre (Norwegian:Nordvegen historiesenter) was opened in 2005, in order to raise the profile of the historical qualities of Avaldsnes. The centre is located by the site of St. Olav's Church. To best preserve the integrity of the church stemming from the Middle Ages as well as the historical landscape, most of the centre is located underground.[13]
There is a replica of a farm from theViking Age with several buildings, including reproductions of a longhouse and boathouses on the island of Bukkøy. The 25-metre (82 ft) long house at the Viking farm is a trestle construction with curving walls and a double curved roof covered with wooden shingles.[14]
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