Coins glass and babies The Old Olden Graveyard is the cemetery that naturally enough encircles the Old Olden Church. This church is one of the two oldest in Norway and it was built on structures that were probably churches from centuries before. The graveyard is modest but with some very cool and unique gravestones. Only one small obelisk that I could see but lots of both new and old memorials that are constructed from various stones, wood and even metal. Most of the gravestones are relatively new because the extremely harsh Norwegian weather erodes and destroys the old ones quickly. Every though most of the grave sites are from the last century or two, it has long been suspected that along with the much older church, many older graves must also be buried nearby. So in 1969 an excavation took place that not only dug around the existing graveyard but since the church was being renovated, also involved the foundation and floor of the existing church. Lots of the expected old glass, coins and other prosaic items, some that date back to medieval times were found. But what really surprised the archaeologists were the remains of some extremely old graves, some that went back to the 1600s. These graves were not only found outside the church but some were actually found under the floor of the present church. To make matters even creepier, about 150 small boxes that apparently contained the tiny fetuses of miscarriages were found under the floor of the church. Archaeologists speculate that the graves and fetuses were buried on the top of the remains of earlier churches before new ones were constructed. A very cool graveyard with spectacular views of the surrounding mountains as well as some deep mysterious and secrets. Some that are yet to be discovered read more

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