Smøla and Edøy Old Church and Kulisteinen

Welcome to the key heritage site!

We recommend walking one of the trails on Edøya before continuing over to Kuli. On the north side of the island, you can follow the cultural heritage trail. Kulisteinen lies in the opposite direction and can be reached by following the marked farm road. The final section of the pilgrim route on Smøla leads to Rosvoll. At Rosvollhaugen there is a shelter where you can enjoy views of the entire Nordmøre coastline. Wondering what a “key site” is? Read more here.

Digital history archive

Through the Voice of Norway app, you can listen to a parts of the facinating history of Edøya and Smøla.

Gurisenteret

On Edøy you will find Gurisenteret, the regional cultural and coastal pilgrim center. The historical play Fru Guri av Edøy is performed here annually in week 28. Gurisenteret is the first stop for many visitors to Smøla and is an active venue offering cultural events and facilities for travelers.

Click here to see the website of Gurisenteret at Edøya

Edøy Old Church

Edøy gamle kirke is a 12th-century stone church and the first landmark you see when arriving at Edøy by sea. The church has a rectangular nave and a chancel set slightly askew in relation to the nave. The interior is whitewashed, and most of the furnishings are of more recent date.

The church burned down after a lightning strike in 1887, and all wooden elements were lost. It remained in ruins until restoration began in 1947. Great care was taken to restore its original design, strongly influenced by Romanesque round-arch style. In 1950, Edøy Old Church was reconsecrated.

Kulisteinen – Norway’s “Baptism Certificate”

Three kilometers from Edøy lies Kuløy and Kulisteinen. This national monument of the highest rank mentions the Christianization of the country and includes the first known written reference to the name Norway. The runic inscription states that Christianity had been in Norway for twelve winters.

The stone likely dates from the early 11th century. Many believe it refers to the Moster Assembly in the early 1020s and therefore consider it Norway’s “baptism certificate.” The original stone is now displayed at the Vitenskapsmuseet in Trondheim, while a replica stands on Kuløy where it was originally found.

Edøystjerna

Burial cairns and mounds were used for more than 3,000 years before burial customs changed with the introduction of Christianity around 1,000 years ago. Star-shaped burial monuments are extremely rare.

In 2006, archaeological investigations connected to the construction of Gurisenteret uncovered a star-shaped stone setting known as Edøystjerna. It was found 30–40 cm below cultivated soil and is believed to date from approximately 200–800 AD.

Further discoveries in 2020 revealed additional cairns, a boat grave, and traces of longhouses in the area.

The Edøy Ship

In 2019, ground-penetrating radar revealed a large ship buried beneath cultivated soil on Edøya. The remains lie within what was once a burial mound measuring about 18 meters in diameter. The keel is approximately 13 meters long, suggesting the ship may have been 17–18 meters in total length.

Although precise dating is uncertain, archaeologists believe the ship dates from the Late Iron Age — either the Merovingian or Viking period — making it over 1,000 years old. Read more about The Edøy Ship here.

Here you can read more about the cultural heritage at Edøy and Kuli

Rosvoll Parsonage and Rosvollhaugen

We recommend a visit to Rosvoll Vicarage, which has served as the priest’s residence since 1749, when Smøla became its own parish. The current parsonage building dates from the early 1880s and is beautifully situated below Rosvollhaugen. A short pilgrim trail leads up to Rosvollhaugen, offering magnificent panoramic views.

More about Rovoll Vicarage.

Landscape Conservation Area

The walk to Rosvollhaugen takes about 10 minutes. At the top, there is a shelter and photo hide overlooking the protected landscape of southern Smøla. From here you can see hundreds of islets and skerries - a powerful reminder of how people once lived close to the fishing grounds, sustaining themselves on small islands and shaping Norway’s coastal culture.

This protected coastal landscape is characterized by grasslands, heath, and coastal meadows shaped by centuries of grazing. The area is rich in seaweed forests and birdlife, including seabirds, otters, white-tailed eagles, and large populations of greylag geese. In 1995, this landscape was named Norway’s “Cultural Landscape of the Year.” All vegetation and wildlife are protected.

Discover more at https://opplevsmola.com/

Here you can find information about Pilgrim Center Smøla