A stave church (Norwegian: stavkirke) is a church built of timbers with a supporting structure of posts (pillars) standing on reclining sleepers or timbers and carrying poles.
The structural joints in the wall form frames that are filled with standing planks or tiles.
Stave churches are now considered to be among the most important representatives of European medieval architecture in wood and are represented by the Urnes Stave Church on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In the Middle Ages there were probably over 1,000 stave churches in Norway, but most disappeared in the period 1350–1650, probably as a result of changing needs after the Black Death and the Reformation.
The existing stave churches are concentrated on the upper valley regions of Eastern Norway (Østlandet) including Gudbrandsdalen, Numedal, Hallingdal, Valdres, and Telemark.