Weathering Time: Medieval Stave Churches in the Face of Climate Change
Speaker: prof. Chiara Bertolin
Venue: Room 3, CU033 Edificio Fermi
Date and Time: 3rd July 2025 h: 14:30

Medieval stave churches (SCs) of Norway, extraordinary wooden structures dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries, have endured centuries of slow natural weathering, extreme environmental events, and anthropogenic pressures. These forces have left visible and hidden marks on their material integrity. Over the centuries, interventions such as relocations, reconstructions, and restorations of these Medieval wooden churches, while necessary, have sometimes affected their historical authenticity. Today, these heritage assets face a rapidly changing climate, with rising temperatures, increased precipitation, and intensified hydrometeorological hazards posing new, compounding threats. 

In parallel, the opening of Norway to the mass tourism are adding further pressure to these fragile wooden structures. This seminar aims to examine how current and future climatic variables—particularly temperature and precipitation trends—affect the vulnerability of the 28 surviving stave churches. It presents a spatial and temporal risk assessment framework designed to detect the most at-risk churches and prioritize preventive conservation measures. Drawing from both climate data and the author’s study on flood and landslide exposure, the seminar discusses the potential for climate-induced degradation under projected future scenarios. The integration of climatic forcing, topographic susceptibility, and heritage sensitivity allows for a more robust understanding of how and where deterioration is likely to accelerate. In the face of uncertain futures, this talk asks: are we prepared to adapt our heritage management strategies to face the climate crisis? Addressing this question is essential to safeguarding the stave churches' sensitive material and cultural value for future generations.