page_title: Austrått
section_title: Courtyard and building wings
hierarchical_section_title: Austrått / The manor buildings / Courtyard and building wings
caption_attribution_description: The Pyramid at Austråttborgen (en: The Manor of Austrått), built 1656, in Ørland, Norway
context_page_description: Austrått or Austrått Manor is a manor in Ørland municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. Since the 10th century, Austrått has been the residence for many noblemen, noblewomen, and officials who played a significant role in Norwegian history. In historical records, Austrått can also be found written as Østråt, Østeraat, Østeraad, Austaat, and Austråt.
  The layout of the manor as it stands today is attributed to chancellor Ove Bjelke, for whom construction was completed around 1656. The manor house burned in 1916. Restoration was begun in the 1920s and completed in 1961. The manor house was previously part of a larger property, but the land is now independent from the manor house. The Norwegian state owns the manor house, which is administered by Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseum in Trondheim. The manor is open for public tours from June until August.
  The name Austrått is thought to derive from the old Norse terms for eastern and direction or, which could be interpreted as eastbound, or possibly the eastern property.
context_section_description: In the 17th century the main building was supplemented by connecting walls which tie the two side wings to the main building. The side wings each contain dwelling rooms. The wings are connected by walls to the gate tower with the entry portal centrally positioned in the tower. From the outside the walls are arranged such that the manor appears essentially square in layout. There is a significant increase in elevation (from south to north) in the courtyard, so that the terrain in the upper part of the manor courtyard is level with the main building vestibule and level with the second floor of the side wings. The bedrock is visible both on the surface in the lower courtyard, and in the transition area. Both the upper and lower courtyards are paved with flagstone.  The steps connecting the levels were built in the 17th century.
  In the vestibule of the courtyard one can see the side wings second floors.  The columns that hold the roofs of  the side wings are carved wood with a religious theme. They represent the ten bridesmaids, five wise and five foolish, known from Jesus' parable of the bridge groom in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25. Statues of two young angels, and of four male figures from the Old Testament (Moses, Joshua, Elia and probably Gideon) are on the west end of the courtyard. The original figures from the 17th century were Baroque in character, while the reconstructions from the 1950s are made in a cleaner, tighter style.
  A double staircase of authentic wrought-iron construction, and a roofed gallery (loggia) with three arches are centrally located on the main building, serving as a dominant feature for both the main building and the courtyard. Coats of arms and bible verses which attest to Lord Ove Bjelke origin and status are carved above the gallery arches. As viewed from the lord of the manor's position at the head of the stairs, the ten bridesmaids are arranged symbolically:  they are distributed with the bad bridesmaids to the left and the good bridesmaids to the right.
  
  The manor layout is designed to emphasize the lord of the manor's role as a Chancellor, as the King's representative and thus as God's deputy in the country and on the estate. The parable of the bridesmaids in Matthew's Gospel, ends with a speech: "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand: 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father'." and "Then shall he say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from me, ye cursed…'" Similarly the location of the caryatid-like figures from the Old Testament also emphasizes who the lord of the manor sees as his peers: the lawmaker, the military leader and the prophet are at his level and to his right. 
  There is an inscription in Latin over the main door, inside the gallery: With God's help Ove Bjelke has committed to preserve this edifice for his heirs.
caption: The pyramid at Austrått
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