Places with a story
Tydal kirke
Tydal kirke is a timber church at Aune whose exterior conceals a remarkable painted interior. Its surviving biblical wall scenes and altered Y-shaped plan tell a story of local building, expansion and the recovery of historic decoration.
The place12
Completed in 1696, the church replaced an older church at Kirkvollen. It was built with three wings in a Y arrangement, a rare solution in Norwegian church architecture. Changes in the 1830s increased its height and transformed part of the plan into a long church, although traces of the original arrangement remain.
History and local connections12
Jens Sandberg painted the biblical scenes in 1738. Later tastes led to their being covered with oil paint in 1847. Sara Rein Hornemann uncovered the surviving paintings in 1912, making them visible again. Enlarged windows had already removed some scenes, so today's interior reflects both preservation and irreversible changes to the old building.
What to look for2
Inside, follow the sequence of scenes around the walls rather than treating them as isolated pictures. The older church bells add another layer: the smallest dates from 1527. Nearby Storaunstuggu, the former church meeting house, connects the building to the practical needs of people travelling from scattered farms for worship.
Planning a visit3
The church is listed as a stop on Romboleden by the National Pilgrim Centre. Consult the parish for current openings and visits, especially if seeing the wall paintings is the main purpose of the trip. Walking the pilgrimage route does not ensure interior access. Respect services and the churchyard, and check separate arrangements for nearby museum buildings.
Sources
Last checked:
More places in Trøndelag
SamfunnPrep
Discover Norway. Prepare for the test.
Practice questions, clear explanations and mock exams.