I like to call this the Fake Darkthrone Cross because many black metal fans visit it believing it’s the same cross used in the photos for Darkthrone’s albums “Under a Funeral Moon” and “A Blaze in the Northern Sky”.

This cross stands at Kråkestad Church and is virtually identical to the one pictured on those sleeves. Even the left arm of the cross is broken off, just as in the images. There is, however, one small difference that’s hard to spot: the inscription.

Two identical crosses were made—perhaps more—one for Provost Jens Bjerch Aschehoug at Kråkestad Church and another for Provost Poul Qvist at Oppegård Church. The Oppegård cross is the genuine one, but it was removed for restoration and never put back. Qvist’s cross bears much more inscription, and his wife, Martha Pauline, is buried at the same site.

The mystery—and the reason so many fans end up at the wrong cross—is that the Kråkestad cross is also missing its left side. There are even photos from as late as 2014 showing it intact. So either it was damaged in exactly the same place as the one at Oppegård, or someone deliberately cut off the left side. The latter is more likely. Perhaps someone thought this was the original Darkthrone cross, restored, and “fixed” it to match the damage seen in the photos?

ADDRESS:
Prestegårdsalleen 2, 1408 Kråkstad, Norway

Back to Kråkstad.