A “Stavkirke” in Rapid City

It was in 2011 that we visited Norway for the first time. Soon after we returned home — we were living in Northern Virginia then — we went to Winchester for a short camping trip. In conversation with a fellow-RVing couple who had also recently visited Norway, we mentioned how charming we thought Norway’s stave churches were. “We’ve got one of those right here in the US,” the wife said and told us where we could see it ... in Rapid City, SD.

So, no wonder that the first place we checked out on our visit to Rapid City today was the Chapel in the Hills. Built in 1969, the church is an exact replica of the Borgund Stavkirke dating from 1150 ... located a couple of hours from Oslo. From what the volunteer at the visitor center told us, the church was built as the home for the Lutheran Vespers radio ministry. But why copy the architecture of a stave church? Apparently, many of the early settlers of the Dakotas were Norwegian Lutherans.

We arrived to find only one other couple on the grounds. They were checking out the information board near the museum, which was closed due to COVID-19 ... though the door was open so visitors could peek in from behind the barrier.

Wandering across the lush green lawn, we walked around the exterior of the church, peeked inside from behind the barrier erected in the doorway due to the pandemic, and listened to the short taped description of the details of the architecture, which ended with a beautifully sung hymn that seemed well-suited to the peaceful environment.

Afterwards, we headed up the short prayer path that is hidden in the trees behind the church. Lined with sculptures, the path provided another perspective as we looked back on the stavkirke ... a delightful spot on the outskirts of downtown Rapid City.Read more