Chapel in the Hills in Rapid City, South Dakota (Detailed Tour of a Viking Church)

[@heddagjelstad2084]

I am Norwegian, and this is so beautiful and heartwarming. Sharing our culture with each other is so important.

[@jimsonjohnson3761]

There's a stave church on Washington Island, Wisconsin. The highest concentration/ and population of Icelandic settlers who came to the US came here or around here.

[@safuwanfauzi5014]

Scandinavian, Slavic, Malay-Indonesia trditional wood church and mosque are beautiful, In Indonesia thousand of wooden mosque in traditional architecture like "masjid agung demak, in Malaysia with Masjid kg Laut Kelantan. they are also stone-brick like Masjid agung banten and Masjid tanah melaka. the multi-tiered pyramidal roof are get from hindu-buddhist era. hope indonesia and malaysia just stop build middle eatern Arab and persian(mughal, Iran, Afghan) dome pensil minaret mosque. in China also many dome mosque take over chinese architecture mosque, europe need to preserve local architecture, i hate when muslim migrant built mosque in middle eastern style, why not built in local style just look like church, just like chinese mosque(old one), and malaysia-indonesia old mosque, or morocccan-andalus/spain mosque.

[@lemonsquidsec]

Warshipping, obviously.

[@colmwhateveryoulike3240]

👏👏👏

[@OatPancake]

genius 😂

[@cellinamc]

Obviously! 😂

[@918Mitchell]

All rise and plunder

[@Austin8thGenTexan]

Oh no - he didn't! That's hilarious! 😂

[@deniseheupel8814]

As a local, there is a special Peace I feel as soon as I start walking up the path towards the Stav Kirke. Such a beautiful blend of nature, architecture, and spirituality. I especially love the Meditation Paths to the south and west of the church. I used to visit often back when I used to work a stressful job and found so much comfort up there. 🙏🥰❤🥰🙏

[@naysaykiller928]

Theres a replica like this in Moorhead, Minnesota, too!

[@matthewweston643]

Fun fact. Lief Erickson was a Christian. So the first thing the first European did in the Americas was almost certainly to hold a Mass of Thanksgiving.

[@savioblanc]

Greenland had a Catholic bishop from the 1100s till the 1300s, when the Little Ice Age that cooled down Europe, caused the Greenland settlement to die out due to the extreme cold weather. I always find that extremely strange to think about - that in the 12th century, there were Catholic Masses being held in Greenland

[@frogleg10]

In Scandinavia the Lutheran clergy have always retained the title priest ("prest" in Scandinavia).

[@Sockens]

Former Home Depot employee, can confirm we do not sell repurposed pagan woodwork for modern Christian usage. We would recommend you contact your local carpenter for such as that. Thank you for your business!

[@christthekingd6240]

Beautiful sublime architecture the Catholics designed in early Norwegian churches. Fascinating blend from the Viking culture. Interesting video!

[@kristinebailey6554]

This is as cool as it gets. Thank you for the tour.

[@gospel2dgeek]

Viking Warship Church sounds so hardcore. It even has a weapons house. 😆

[@tsviper]

My local church still have a våpenhus, (weapon house) it was build in the 1970s

[@JayDagny]

So happy you were able to see a Stave! My offer still stands to help you out in seeing the Hopperstad replica at the Hjemkomst Center here in Moorhead, Minnesota. St. John the Divine Episcopal Church here in town is very old and unique, too. A traditional Episcopal service led by a sweet Norwegian-descendant woman leading a congregation of Sudanese immigrants

[@mrmichaelencke]

We just moved to the Black Hills and checked out that chapel! It is amazing!

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

Hey welcome to the area!

[@NowhereNN]

That's pretty interesting. I know it's a long way, but you should definitely visit some of the Tlingit Russian Orthodox Churches in Alaska. They're an excellent example of how to evangelize a people.

[@meganbrummer4258]

Such a beautiful place. It has been a while since I visited, but I was struck by the sensory experience: the smell of the wood, the hush of the sanctuary, the filtering light. It feels otherworldly inside.

[@jeffthechefpiper8227]

There was a stave church at little Norway village in Blue Mound, Wisconsin. Sadly closed down now. The building was from the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1893.

[@johngleich1379]

Wisconsin has at least one other - on Washington Island, in Door County.

[@johngleich1379]

And... Just realized they're modeled after the same church in Norway

[@stephani1972]

Jeff & @johngleich1379 ​​⁠ ​​hoping you both realize you are so close to a fantastic subject: Grand Tartary/ Tartaria & the people: Tartarians. Hope you both google all 3 words, look at all images FIRST, the photographic images and proofs of not only them, historical recorded mapping , recorded meetings with them, their stunning architecture and breathtaking technology of buildings THEY erected that are still standing in most cities GLOBALLY today… AND actual photos of these people that have been absolutely erased by 1930 & finally connect the pieces of our human history with amnesia.

[@mikemooney83]

Thank you for the drone shot at the 25:00 mark! The church is a cross!!! Stunning!

[@SuperAdrianio]

From Norway here, and I never knew there was a replica of the Borgund stavechurch in the States. Very insightful to see all these symbols and things, new and old, merge into this replica. Very good choice, Matt!

[@darroniverson3373]

In every state that Scandinavians were a foundational class, you will find at least one stavekirke. There are at least 7 states with these structures.

[@ceilconstante640]

That was a real treat to see and have a tour of. To know that such a place exists and the history of this particular Stave Church. It's very beautiful and so was the Bible on the alter. Thank you.

[@vivacristorey4363]

I have a huge love for seeing how different cultures build or would build Christian Churches in unique ways. This is incredible.

[@cellinamc]

This chapel is gorgeous! So much better in person and the people that run the place are so friendly!

[@dr.casebolt]

Hey Matt, if you like old wooden churches and are ever back east, you should visit Old Ship Parish in Hingham, Mass. The church was literally built for the deconstructed timbers of a merchant ship. It's gorgeous and historical.

[@PinkTigger33]

I'd love to see that. I didn't know it existed. Thanks for sharing!

[@WeRAlwaysEvolving]

This is 1 hour away from my house & I have some Norway roots. I visited two days ago & this video helped open my mind a little more, thanks! ✨❤️

[@neuroleptika]

I have visited several stave churches in norway and one in sweden

[@wmarkfish]

Hey Matt, your ancestor wouldn't happen to be Edward Wightman, the last heretic to be burned at the stake in England?

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

That's him.

[@pkmcnett5649]

@@MattWhitmanTMBH that is awesome! The Anabaptists were persecuted for a long time, and on many countries.

[@ancientz7547]

Interesting note about the Helm of Awe and the Vegvisir (and other such “runes”) - they are not actually Viking symbols, but rather much later symbols (approximately 8 centuries later).

[@Servant_of_Christ]

Blessings from Sweden 🇸🇪

[@timothywolfe8747]

New student at SDSMT, ran over to Chapel in the Hills the other day. Absolutely beautiful. So cool to see a video on it by you now haha! Enjoying the new area, mostly

[@elaineboyd9575]

There is a smaller stave church at green lake bible camp in Spicer Minnesota

[@DanDelzell]

My mother in law played the organ for services here for years. It certainly is a beautiful church and its worth catching chapel if you're ever in Rapid City.

[@ketojo]

Beautiful. We were very blessed to have had our wedding there 34 years ago. Used to attend vespers there as well. Very peaceful place.

[@stephenbailey9969]

Jesus is Lord. No matter what culture we are raised in.

[@2b16p]

My great grandparents and great-great grandparents immigrated to the Midwest states from Norway, so the nordic history was really cool to learn about! My grandpa was a Lutheran pastor, in Max Bass SD in the 1950's before moving to tiny towns in Iowa. I feel I'm a little uncommon, being my age (late 20's) and attending church regularly. There's a lot of skepticism of Christianity and christians out there, and with good reason, and things like this channel opens people eyes to what christianity is and how varied christians are 🙂

[@Jlendevors]

My ancestors also did that

[@downbntout]

My Mom married a Norwegian man, and she told me how these Churches came to be built. In the early days of Christianity in Norway, the existing lore was threatened and Christians were persecuted. At that time wood for the stove was dried as long poles, leaned up against one big tree, (stoves fed through a small low window re-insulated each time as the logs were pulled a little more into the fire) and the Christians met inside those vertical woodstacks, in the pitch dark, leaning on God as the poles leaned on the tree. One king, perhaps because of their prayers, ruled that Christianity could be tolerated and so the meeting places inside the woodstacks became the sites of the Stavsjirkes. I have visited four. The floorplan inside each is in the shape of a Cross. They are preserved with brushed-on creosote, so on a warm day you'll catch a whiff. But these Churches are so magnificently well made. The coexistence of the Pagan ideas can be seen as the dragon-head figures atop the roof corners to ward off evil spirits. They are located along the fjords because boats were the main mode of travel. I have a print of an Adolph Tidemand painting that I saw at Elvesæter, showing the groom's party running down from the Church to the shoreline, as the bride and her family arrive in their rowboat, she of course in bunad and bride's crown, a beverage being poured as they come near, and a young man firing a single shot from a long gun at the bow of the boat. A day so calm and bright, the puff of gunsmoke hangs in the air. Smiles and celebration begin.

[@jeanlanz2344]

The drone shots are spectacular. The carvings are impressive. It's great to have a historical rebuilding of a Catholic church from Norway and have it be preserved to carefully and so well by its stewards including your host.

[@stljman33]

There is one of these In northern Wisconsin as well!

[@GrammyGottaGo]

Thank you for this Matt!

[@Llendulka1]

Many of my friends understand just a few words in English, or none at all, yet they are happily standing for hours at stadiums listening to pop stars. Taking your best clothes, travelling to a special place and then the overall atmosphere, the music, the scent, the herd feeling… I can kind of get what it could have been like for the Vikings. :-)

[@jaredwarner3972]

This is one of my favorite tours on your channel. Thanks for doing it. I love seeing pictures of these churches but have never seen the inside!

[@cinnova8690]

I’m Norwegian and I friend of my worked as a guide at the stavirke we have in Oslo, and I have seen two others. What was so cool about this one is that you get an idea of what it might have looked like to people back then. Because today you see so clearly that they’re so old 😂

[@mblaydoe]

When the Vikings returned from their raids, they would remove the dragon heads from the prows of their ships, so as not to offend the land spirits. One might suspect that the dragon heads on the church were an “in your face” to the belief in land spirits.

[@hunterolson2729]

I don’t normally watch these videos but I had to click on it due to the fact that I have been there before and that is one of my favorite places

[@unchartedjeep2009]

You should tour the glass one in Nebraska off the interstate south of Omaha it's breathtaking!

[@michaeladams6014]

An interesting fictional book where the Nave church is central to the story: The Bell in the Lake (The Sister Bells, #1) by Lars Mytting. Worth the read if interested in Norwegian Nave Church history.

[@P-Mouse]

looks so shiny and new

[@AwakeningAfrica]

Beautiful church! It is fascinating to hear about the history, especially the weapons house. Very cool. Thanks for sharing!

[@Danae78]

Oh now that's cool. Now I know why roosters are on weather mains in the country. I watched alotta cartoons and they were always there.

[@sammyjay777]

There's also folklore about evil spirits being dispersed by the cockcrows - hence the cockcrow on the weathervanes.

[@Danae78]

@@sammyjay777 I think that there's some folklore of why in Asian countries the buildings have up turned roofs. Because it's been said that the demons that fell out of the sky would bounce off the rooftops and return back from where they came. Kinda also reminds me of the Turnips and pumpkins used to ward off demons during Halloween.

[@homescholed]

4:00 I believe gargoyles were originally used as storm drains. So the rain would run off the roofs of the cathedrals,and go into gutters then out the gargoyle.

[@susankovacs8678]

❤Thank you for the tour and history. I love the 🐉

[@patriciamayhew6321]

The Rooster on the top as weather vane represents “In Norse mythology, Gullinkambi (Old Norse "golden comb"[1]) is a rooster who lives in Valhalla. In the Poetic Edda poem Völuspá, Gullinkambi is one of the three roosters whose crowing is foretold to signify the beginning of the events of Ragnarök. The other two roosters are Fjalar in the wood Gálgviðr, and an unnamed soot-red rooster in Hel: Benjamin Thorpe translation: Crowed o'er the Æsir Gullinkambi, which wakens heroes with the sire of hosts; but another crows beneath the earth, a soot-red cock, in the halls of Hel.[2] Henry Adams Bellows translation: Then to the gods crowed Gollinkambi, He wakes the heroes in Othin's hall; And beneath the earth does another crow, The rust-red bird at the bars of Hel.[3] It has been suggested that the central tree depicted in the Överhogdal tapestries is the world tree Yggdrasil and that the bird at the top is Gullinkambi.[4]” Each stave church is a representation of the Norse World Tree Yggdrasil carved in wood. The Norse totally connected and combined their legend of Ragnarok with the Apocalypse.

[@RhiannonSenpai]

Still looks very similar to our old wooden orthodox churches here are n Romania.

[@Crazychickenlady448]

Matt, you are such a history geek, and I absolutely adore you for it! You are such a blessing, you get me not only "geeked" about God, but also geeked about a subject that created much consternation for me in school.

[@Aaryq]

I've been to the one in North Dakota. It was so beautiful to see.

[@ParksLover]

I enjoyed this. I've seen this church multiple times over the years on family trips to the Black Hills. I've also been to a replica stave church in Minot, ND. There's one in Moorhead, MN, too, but I've only seen that one from outside the grounds. They're all very cool and beautiful.

[@Mrs_Homemaker]

We have a Stave Church in Minot ND as well - brought over piece by piece from Norway. The inside of that one has many more carvings. The dragons are likely the same meaning as gargoyles - they look like demons so they scare away the demons bc demons don't want to see each other. ☠️

[@josephnugent3065]

I have been to the Stave Church in Bourgeond, it is breathtaking.

[@latteARCH]

Love these videos on church architecture!

[@jethrodebeer2217]

Makes me think of the iconic Fantoft Stave church featured on many Christian black metal bands album covers

[@Crusader1984]

Valhalla church?

[@leviwarren6222]

Aw man, I live in Rapid City! If you're staying the weekend here, we are part of the congregation at the Little White Church, a historical church in the hills (non-denominational). Chapel in the Hills is a good visit, glad you were able to enjoy it.

[@MattWhitmanTMBH]

I live here too.

[@leviwarren6222]

@@MattWhitmanTMBH No stinkin' way! That's awesome, I moved my family out here from Oregon last year and it's been a huge blessing that South Dakotans have prepared and sustained this culture. Coming from Oregon, we've seen places with few churches and little remaining biblically grounded culture. We're excited to assimilate to South Dakotan culture and perpetuate it for future generations. And of course the offer stands if you get the itch to visit the Little White Church, it's a fantastic congregation.

[@storieswithinstories9442]

What an amazing building. This caused me to find out that dragon gargoyles were the most widespread early form of gargoyle in medieval Europe, a Viking influence I wouldn't have guessed. One Scottish abbey recently replaced one of their crumbling gargoyles with a baby xenomorph gargoyle. I hope a Matt Whitman of the distant future one day sees it and doesn't know what to make of it. "It looks kinda like a piranha... or maybe a skull? People of the period were very inundated by pop culture, though, so it could be something from horror or fantasy. A play on the Dracula or orc motif, perhaps?"

[@RighteousReverendDynamite]

There is grotesque carved on one of the towers of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. of DARTH VADER! (of course, trying to read the Gospel story of the Transfiguration of Christ in James Earl Jones' voice "He is my Son, in whom my Favor Rests")

[@craftynita6633]

such a peaceful place! i'd love to see it again knowing all this i have learned- thanks for sharing.

[@jaybig360]

I like his honesty , Protestants can’t never escape the catholic church. Come home fellas

[@jeremyhaugen273]

The benches along the wall are the source of the phrase, "The weakest go to the wall." I love stopping by the Chapel whenever I'm in the Black Hills. If you are in the Fargo ND area, I also recommend stopping by the Heritage Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead, Minnesota. Not only will you find a replica of a 12th Century Stave Church, but you will also get to see the Hjemkomst, a replica of a Viking longboat that crossed the North Atlantic in 1982. Matt, I hope you take some time to chat with us ELCA Lutherans. We differ from our LCMS brethren in style, but not necessarily substance!

[@shinzman87]

Cool building. But ELCA is not confessional Lutheran.

[@autumnfeldpausch5539]

A part of me so much wants to build my home after this church..with the covered outer hall all the way around too. This would happen if me or my husband won the loaded jackpot..I have a list and this church is on it!

[@MiscMitz]

Very interesting. Thank you Matt

[@KevinRDunn]

Thank you, great tour.

[@RighteousReverendDynamite]

Gothic cathedrals in France also have the Cock weathervane on their highest spires to remind us of St. Peter. The one atop the spire of Notre Dame de Paris also held a reliquary containing the relics of St. Denis and St. Genevieve, patron saints of Paris and France. Fortunately, during the horrific arson of the church, the top of the spire as it toppled trough the limestone vaulted roof over the nave, the cock broke off separately and rolled across the stone floor into a safe corner by the South Tower, away from the flames and falling stones. It was also thought that it would protect the church from lightning strikes (which plaqued a lot of towers in Europe until Ben Franklin came along).

[@EcoSpeeder]

Why are the top floors forbidden ?

[@ryannaylor4256]

Is there any way that those dragons represent what would have originally been cornex Horns

[@isaiahkerstetter3142]

Through the prayers of our holy fathers and of our father among the saints, the venerable and right-believing St. Olaf of Norway, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.

[@Pandaemoni]

The modern Icelandic "Ægishjálmur" (the "Helm of Awe" or "of Terror" it's hard to say what the original form was), was a medieval symbol used in Christian magic (not a pagan symbol), so it wouldn't have been original to the church in Iceland. There are biking age references to a Helm of Awe/Terror is sources like Fafnismal, but there they seem to be referencing a helmet...as in head protection that you physically wear on your head...not just a symbol. Dr. Jackson Crawford has a whole video on KZbin about Ægishjálmur that goes into more depth...but perhaps the locks were added after the turn of the 16th century when the symbol seems to have been invented.

[@richardwessels1125]

Beautiful video, drone footage on point. Color correction? Camera person, b-roll and great shots. Your videos are looking great. Thank you

[@elluisito000]

There is one orthodox church in my country Venezuela that looks like this, it belongs to one of the orthodox parishes in Caracas. It's awesome.

[@AndrewKendall71]

My daughter and I traveled to Götland in Sweden and were able to identify the church building my great grandparents and 2nd and 3rd and further attended. It's not a stavkirke, but still 13th century (Sanda, Götland). One of the other churches we visited (Eskelhem) had a lion painting because of the biblical language and connotations. But, not much in the way of lions in Scandinavia in the middle ages. So, didn't look like a lion but an interpretation by an artist. Anyway yeah, to see the baptismal font and just to be there where my family went to church at least as far back as 200 years ago... amazing.

[@rosemcginnis914]

My husband is Norwegian, he was really happy to watch this. By the way, I am Armenian American, I urge you to visit the Armenian Apostolic Church, one of the oldest national churches is the world.

[@jerbearnone2012]

Neat! There is one of these in Washington Island in Wisconsin! Super cool to learn more about them.

[@AarmOZ84]

My family ancestors trace back to the Normans so my first Christian ancestor on that line was Rollo the Walker. Kind of cool to see a replica of the Old Norse churches.

[@MisterTipp]

People think of vikings as pagans even though the Norse became Christianised really early on

[@caedmonnoeske3931]

I wouldn't say early. They remained pagan longer than any of the other Germanic people and certainly far later than all of the Celts. They were really only outlasted by some Slavic and Baltic tribes.

[@charbelyoussef604]

Really early on? I don’t think so. By that time it was already 1000 years since Christianity began. I would say half on.

[@danielledegeorge2129]

The reason the Vikings kept the dragons on the church roofs wasn't because they were keeping old pagan beliefs. They recognized the dragon as a Biblical symbol for wickedness, which they had turned from, and instead of putting a dragon at the prow of their ships, they probably put them on the church roof instead, looking up, in accordance with Psalm 148:7... 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps. It's interesting to note the symbolic repentance in this. Once the dragon guided them into plunder and pillaging, and then it was subdued into praising the Lord from the church rooftop! Beautiful!

[@tateoien871]

There's one of these in the Fargo-Moorehead area as well! One of my favorite sites to see there. Really beautiful piece of history and Scandinavian Christianity

[@PinkTigger33]

Stave churches are beautiful.

[@WaddleAero]

Great video! Random question, what drone do you use?

[@haiio1348]

11:44 good point! :-))

[@dettonator6]

Awesome story and beautiful church!

[@sherizaahd]

That church is awesome!

[@javierluyanda8283]

Amazing video !

Thank you. This was super interesting and i learned something new. Keep up the good work 👍

[@skogargirl3010]

At first, I thought this was going to be the stave church in Moorhead, MN. They're so pretty...

[@Sarah-fe1hh]

Cool church! Love these videos

[@frankwrogg2515]

There are some in door county wi also

[@johngleich1379]

Just discovered that the one on Washington Island is modeled after the same church in Norway!

[@ian2000]

I clicked because I've been to this, we were on vacation and driving and were like what is that, why is it here? Now I know.

[@benjamincooke1409]

The Norwegian star, which looks like the door lock, in knitting is a symbol of Catholics hiding in a household in persecution’s in the reformation. Maybe this were they got it from

[@kmrbsc]

Beautiful!! Thank you for this!!

[@tsviper]

Have been in a marriage in a old stavkirke, they are cold in winter...

[@mwol5473]

I wonder if that's how the Viking Pagan temples actually looked like before Christianity

[@Adam-fj9px]

Kind of. The styling is practically the same, dark wood, roofing, dragons on the edges of walls, but the shape of the building itself wouldn't have been crucifix like, once converting from paganism to Catholicism the norse took their architectural style and mapped it onto churches which I love as it gives a completely unique design not really seen anywhere else

[@dustinpaulson1123]

In this church, the armor of God comes with the Axe of the Spirit

[@savioblanc]

More than 50+ of these kinds of historical churches were burnt down by Black Metal band members in Norway during the 90s

[@BennettSanderson]

The camera work and style is reminding me a lot of Objectivity. Great stuff!

[@roseg1333]

Sounds more Catholic then Lutheran 🙏🏼✝️🕊 I love the Catholic roots and how it all blends together ❤️🙏🏼

[@Adam-fj9px]

St olaf and the first Christian vikings were absolutely Catholic 👍