Which term refers to a Scandinavian wooden church built with vertical planks forming the walls?

Which term refers to a Scandinavian wooden church built with vertical planks forming the walls?

• A. Stave Church
• B. Steve Church
• C. Log Church
• D. Viking Church

Answer: (B)

Stave church refers to a medieval Scandinavian wooden church whose walls are built from vertical planks called staves, set into a timber frame. The defining feature is that the walls themselves are composed of tall, narrow vertical boards rather than horizontal logs, giving the building its name. This technique, common in Norway and parts of Sweden from roughly the 12th to the 14th centuries, results in a distinctive, finely carved wooden structure, with examples such as Borgund showcasing how the vertical staves work within a sturdy post-and-frame system. The term itself comes from the Old Norse word for a staff or post, highlighting those vertical elements. The other options don’t fit because they describe different wall-making methods or are nonstandard terms: a log church would use horizontal logs, a Viking church isn’t a formal architectural category, and “Steve Church” is simply a misspelling of the correct term.

Stave church refers to a medieval Scandinavian wooden church whose walls are built from vertical planks called staves, set into a timber frame. The defining feature is that the walls themselves are composed of tall, narrow vertical boards rather than horizontal logs, giving the building its name. This technique, common in Norway and parts of Sweden from roughly the 12th to the 14th centuries, results in a distinctive, finely carved wooden structure, with examples such as Borgund showcasing how the vertical staves work within a sturdy post-and-frame system. The term itself comes from the Old Norse word for a staff or post, highlighting those vertical elements. The other options don’t fit because they describe different wall-making methods or are nonstandard terms: a log church would use horizontal logs, a Viking church isn’t a formal architectural category, and “Steve Church” is simply a misspelling of the correct term.