Tag Archives: medieval cathedral

The joy of well-preserved medieval soapstone sculpture

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Per Storemyr

Over the last couple of years, I have had the pleasure of investigating medieval stonework and sculpture for Nidaros Cathedral Restoration Workshop – more than 35 years after I first started to work with the cathedral. There is a lot of weathering of soft soapstone and greenschist going on, the major stone types of the cathedral, hence the joy of encountering very well-preserved Gothic sculpture. Why are they still in such a good shape, 800 years after they were carved? Continue reading →

Posted in Monument conservation, Norway, Weathering history | Tagged medieval cathedral, Nidaros Cathedral, soapstone, weathering | 3 Comments

The Stones and Mortars of the Medieval Cathedral on the Faroe Islands

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Per Storemyr

Presented in Tórshavn earlier this year, “The Cathedral of Kirkjubøur” is a book covering all you ever wanted to know about building a big Gothic church in the middle of the North Atlantic – 700 years ago, and far away from contemporary European centres of stone architecture. Edited by Kirstin S. Eliasen and Morten Stige, the book contains 18 papers with various perspectives on the archaeology and building history. My contribution is written together with Faroese geologist Uni Árting: How were stone and lime procured on a remote archipelago that basically consist of basalt? Read on and download PDF of our paper. Continue reading →