Welcome to the web exhibition «Tabernacle Shrines». Before the Reformation, Norwegian churches were filled with representations of the saints, both sculpted and painted. But how were they located in the church room? Many probably stood inside so-called tabernacle shrines. Most of these are now lost. This route visualizes the results of a research project carried…Continue reading Tabernacle Shrines
Category: Tabernacle shrines
1 Virgin and Child from Urnes
This enthroned Virgin Mary is one of the oldest saints’ sculptures preserved in Norway. Several motifs, such as the parallel folds between the shoes, are reminiscent of northern French sculptures and sculptures from the Rhine and Meuse Valleys, in what are now Germany and Belgium. Nevertheless, it cannot be determined with certainty whether it…Continue reading 1 Virgin and Child from Urnes
2 Shrine Fragments from Urnes
The Madonna from Urnes (see no. 1) was placed in a tabernacle shrine. The preserved parts – a crowning in the shape of a miniature church, and the left wing – enable a reconstruction of the entire shrine. Together with similarly shaped fragments in Italy, the shrine parts from Urnes are among the oldest in…Continue reading 2 Shrine Fragments from Urnes
3 Wings of Two Different Tabernacle Shrines from Røldal and Odda
These two wings stem from two different Marian shrines. This wing belongs to the Madonna from Røldal (see no. 8) and features several scenes from the history of the Virgin birth of Christ: the meeting between Mary and Elizabeth above, and two of the Three Kings below. To the left of the Virgin Mary in…Continue reading 3 Wings of Two Different Tabernacle Shrines from Røldal and Odda
4 Dossal Altarpiece from Austevoll
Besides shrines that can be closed with wings, there were also wingless, so-called ‘dossal altars’, that cannot be closed. The dossal, i.e., back panel, can nevertheless be understood as a motif that exalts the figure and distinguishes it in the church interior. The dossal altarpiece from Austevoll shows the holy King Olav, medieval Norway’s most…Continue reading 4 Dossal Altarpiece from Austevoll
5 Marian Shrine from Hove
The so-called ‘Hove-Madonna’ is among the most precious medieval sculptures in Norway. Its shapes, carving and polychromy (painted decorations and gilding) are of the highest quality. The Virgin and Child are seated on a throne under a baldachin. Iron hooks on either side of the back panel indicate that the shrine could be closed. According…Continue reading 5 Marian Shrine from Hove
6 Virgin and Child with Tabernacle Shrine from Kyrkjebø
During the restoration of this Marian figure in the 1960s, several parchment fragments were found inside the sculpture’s hollow backside. These were recently rediscovered in the University Museum’s archive and interpreted. The fragments probably stem from a Missal. They were reused to fill holes that had occured during the carving of the figure before the…Continue reading 6 Virgin and Child with Tabernacle Shrine from Kyrkjebø
7 Church Model from Kinsarvik
Miniature churches such as these served as crowning elements to tabernacle shrines (see the reconstruction from Urnes, no. 2). In Norway, a total of four church models are preserved, and in Sweden two. The church model from Kinsarvik has a T-shaped ground plan with a projecting central tower. The Bergen collection holds similar church models…Continue reading 7 Church Model from Kinsarvik
8 Virgin and Child from Røldal
The Virgin and Child from Røldal stood inside a tabernacle shrine with scenes on the insides of the wings. One wing is preserved (see no. 3). The Madonna was probably situated on a Lady altar on the north side in the nave of the stave church, opposite from an altar with a sculpture of St…Continue reading 8 Virgin and Child from Røldal
9 St Olav from Røldal
The pendant to the Virgin from Røldal stave church was the holy King Olav, who probably occupied a side altar in the nave, where the community gathered for worship. The similar size, style and execution of both sculptures suggest that both were produced in the same workshop. The St Olav figure rests on a socle…Continue reading 9 St Olav from Røldal
10 Tabernacle Shrine from Granvin
All entirely preserved tabernacle shrines in Norway date from the late Middle Ages. Most feature painted representations on the insides of the wings instead of relief figures, as was common in older shrines. Late medieval shrines often carry painted figurations also on the outsides, whereas most older shrines were only painted in one or two…Continue reading 10 Tabernacle Shrine from Granvin
11 Marian Shrine from Brekke
This late Gothic Marian shrine from Brekke is one of the best preserved of its kind in Norway. The sculpture of the Virgin and Child are presented in a chest with scenes from the history of the Virgin birth of Christ, while the exterior features Annunciation, i.e. the meeting between the Archangel Gabriel and the…Continue reading 11 Marian Shrine from Brekke