This marks the eighteenth year for the Stav Christmas Ornament. This year's collectible features the church at Oye, which is in Valdres. The Oye church is shrouded in mystery, beginning with the date it was originally constructed. Historians' best guess is sometime toward the end of the 1100s. It was originally built closer to the river Rodola in Oye, which was a problem since the river was prone to flooding both the church and its neighboring graveyard. In 1797, the town decided to move the church and graveyard to a safer location above the flood zone. The original church was dismantled, although pieces of the original structure were used in the new church.
The real mystery came in 1935, when construction workers removed the new church floor to repair the church's foundations. Underneath the floor lay all the structural elements of the original Oye church--156 pieces in all. No one knows why they were stored there.
Eventually, the decision was made to erect the old Oye church. Construction was completed in 1965, and the church was consecrated. Today, the church boasts many of its original artifacts, including a baptistry and cross from the 1300s.
Each limited edition ornament is crafted from a 2.5" flat porcelain disk and hand decorated in delicate Scandinavian blues and whites.
- Blue silk-screened design on porcelain
- 2.5" disk with ribbon
- Gift boxed
- Contains a detailed history of the church
- Manufacturer: Norse Traditions, A/S
