Kyrkjistøle - Støgonøse

Hiking 1.5 - 2.5 h 7.5 km

Kyrkjistølen, St. Tomas church. Hiking time up: about 2 h. The tour is marked.

But before you embark on your trip, it might be interesting to look around the church a bit ? Here is the new St. Thomas Church, which was inaugurated in 1971. A few meters west of the church is the site where the old church used to stand. Even further west you see a stone hut. It was the lodging of the priest and the bell ringer when they were here to hold a service.

But back to the trip. Follow the white marked trail on the eastern side of of the stone hut and the creek. You get to the old way after a few minutes of walking. Follow it for a few meters and turn right and follow the white V marking upwards along the ridge. The trail goes along the north side of Sørre Kyrkjestølsnøsen (1283 masl). Take a detour to the peakif you want to see views over Kyrkjestølsnosen. The path continues east with "aerial views". By Vesleskartjednet (1256 masl) there is the path from Nystuen, you can choose to go down again here. Going on in easy terrain to Støgonøse with stunning views down towards Nystuen and Otrøvatnet and rows of peaks on all sides.

Up on top is a strange building. It is an observation post from the "Cold War", built first in the 1950's by the Air National Guard.

St. Tomas Church
The original Tomas church was a stave church from about year 1200. The church was perhaps parish for people who had been involved in extraction of iron in Smeddalen. When the church was built the climate was so good that plateaux were wooded, and thus could provide the basis for residents at Filefjell. The name Smeddalen suggests that people who lived herewho in addition to hunting and fishing subsisted with extraction from bog and by forging weapons and tools that they sold. A lot suggests that the Black Death in the middle of 1300's put a brutal end to this hamlet community. The church was later probably only used by rushing people who needed housing and protection from the elements when they traveled across the mountains.

The stave church was demolished in 1808.

Getting there: The church is located along the E16 at Filefjell by Kyrkjestølen.