text and images britt-arnhild
"May I climb the steep ladder up the spire, please?"
We were in the almost 400 years old church as part of a 60th birthday celebration, and the guide had told us about the fantastic view from there church spire. And also about the steep, steep ladder you had to climb to get there. This intrigued me. It sounded too exciting to let go. So instead of walking out to the graveyard surrounding the church, which was the guide´s suggestion, I couldn´t help myself asking:
"May I climb the ladder up the spire please?"
The guide was right.
The ladder was terrible steep.
And the view was terrific!
The village of Leksvika, the Trondheim Fjord and all the way out to the little monastery island Tautra.
Leksvik church has several treasures, among them a crusifix from the 1200 century. Its history is unknown, though the guide has her own version, which I love:
"As you know we are close to the island Tautra. The first Cisterciencer monks came there around 800 years ago. They built a church on Tautra which also became the church for the inhabitants here in Leksvik. The people was happy, they didn´t have to row all the way to Lade church in Trondheim, Tautra was much, much closer. Then one year a bride to be and her groom drowned on their way to the church at Tautra, during a heavy storm, and the inhabitants here in Leksvika decided it was full time to build a church in their own village. When the tiny little log church was finished the monks at Tautra, which were originally from France, came rowing over the fjord with a gift; this French crusifix"
There are tales for many a book hidden inside the walls of Leksvik church.
Our guide has materials for some them.
A collector of words is needed to write them down.
Here you can read more about the church.
By the way, did you know that many old family portraits also have the dead children of the family included? They were often painted with white skin.
