Bremnes Church ( no, Bremnes kirke) is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of the Church of Norway in

Bømlo Municipality Bømlo is a municipality in the southwestern part of Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Svortland. Other villages in Bømlo includ ...

Vestland Vestland is a county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Bergen, where t ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. It is located in the village of Svortland on the island of

Bømlo Bømlo is a municipality in the southwestern part of Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Svortland. Other villages in Bømlo includ ...

. It is the church for the Bremnes

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

which is part of the

Sunnhordland prosti Sunnhordland is a traditional district in the western region of Norway. The district consists of the southern coastal regions of the old Hordaland county (now part of Vestland county). It includes the areas that surround the mouth of the Hardang ...

( deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden church was built in a long church design in 1869 using plans drawn up by the

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Jacob Wilhelm Nordan Jacob Wilhelm Nordan (23 February 1824 – 11 April 1892) was a Danish-born, Norwegian architect. During his career, he was one of the most prolific church architects in Norway. Biography Nordan was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and came to Norw ...

. The church seats about 750 people.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1327, but it was considered an old church at that time. The first church here was a wooden

stave church A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the building's structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts ar ...

that was located in the nearby farm area of Gåsland (across the lake from the present location). This church was likely built during the 13th century. Historically, the church was called Gåsland Church (spelled ''Gaasland'') since it was located on that farm. In 1689, the stave church was demolished and a new wooden long church was built in the same place by the builder Oluff Bysemb. In 1852, the municipal council began discussing the idea of replacing this church with a new building. This discussion led to a dispute as to where the church should be located. After much debate, it was decided to build the church on the other side of the lake at Svortland, about to the south. After the choice of plot was decided in 1864, the architect

was commissioned to prepare drawings for the new church. In 1867, modified drawings were approved and the lead builder Ole Vangberg was hired to lead the construction work. The church was built during 1869 and it was consecrated on 16 September 1869. Ahead of the 100th anniversary in 1969, a major remodeling and repair of the building was carried out according to plans prepared by architect Ole Halvorsen from Bergen. During this project, the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

, the

sacristies A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

, and the

church porch A church porch is a room-like structure at a church's main entrance. A porch protects from the weather to some extent. Some porches have an outer door, others a simple gate, and in some cases the outer opening is not closed in any way. The porch ...

were all enlarged. Work began in May 1965 and ended in August 1966.

References

{{use dmy dates, date=May 2020 Bømlo Churches in Vestland Long churches in Norway Wooden churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1869 13th-century establishments in Norway

History

See also

References