Byneset Church ( no, Byneset kirke) is a medieval
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
Trondheim Municipality in
Trøndelag
Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denma ...
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
Byneset area of the
city of Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...
. It is one of the churches for the ''Byneset og Leinstrand''
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
Heimdal og Byåsen prosti (
deanery) in the
Diocese of Nidaros
Nidaros is a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Norway. It covers Trøndelag county in Central Norway and its cathedral city is Trondheim, which houses the well-known Nidaros Cathedral. Since 10 September 2017, the Bishop of Nidaros is Herbor ...
. The white, plastered stone church was built in a
long church design during the 12th century using plans drawn up by an unknown
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 ...
. The church seats about 230 people.
History
The white, stone church was
consecrated as ''St. Michaelskirken'' and dedicated to the
Archangel
Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
. The year of
consecration is not exactly known, but it is assumed that it was about 1180 during the time of
Eysteinn Erlendsson (''Øystein Erlendsson''), the Archbishop of the
Archdiocese of Nidaros. The same mason signatures on this building are also found at the
Nidaros Cathedral, indicating that the same masons were used in the construction of both churches. The church is built of stone in a
Romanesque style and is a
long church design. The construction likely began around the year 1140 and lasted about 40 years, with its completion around 1180. The tower was built around the year 1650. In 1656, a
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 ...
was constructed in front of the west gate. The church was renovated in 1811.
In 1814, this church served as an
election church
An election church ( no, valgkirke) is a term used for approximately 300 churches in Norway that were used as polling stations during the elections to the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll in 1814. This was Norway's first national election ...
( no, valgkirke).
Together with more than 300 other parish churches across Norway, it was a polling station for elections to the 1814
Norwegian Constituent Assembly
The Norwegian Constituent Assembly (in Norwegian ''Grunnlovsforsamlingen'', also known as ''Riksforsamlingen'') is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway, that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised t ...
which wrote the
Constitution of Norway. This was Norway's first national elections. Each
church 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 or m ...
was a constituency that elected people called "electors" who later met together in each county to elect the representatives for the assembly that was to meet in
Eidsvoll
Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet.
General information
...
later that year.
The
baroque altarpiece dates from 1695 and is richly decorated depicting the
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion and death of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely in AD 30 or AD 33. It is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and consid ...
. When the church was restored in the 1960s, several late 15th century paintings were uncovered which featured the themes of the
Seven deadly sins
The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings. Although they are not directly mentioned in the Bible, there are parallels with the seven things ...
and
Judgment Day.
Media gallery
Altertavlen i Byneset kirke (1980).jpg, Church Altarpiece (1695)
Byneset kirke, Sør-Trøndelag - Riksantikvaren-T364 01 0001.jpg, Exterior view
Byneset-portal.jpg, Door into the church
Byneset - capital east.jpg, Exterior capital on a corner piller carving
Byneset kirke - Judgment Day (1980).jpg, Mural of Judgment Day
Byneset kirke - Seven Deadly Sins (1980).jpg, Mural of the Seven Deadly Sins
Detalj fra Altertavlen i Byneset kirke (1980).jpg, Detail of altarpiece
See also
*
List of churches in Nidaros
This list of churches in Nidaros is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Nidaros which covers all of Trøndelag county in Norway. The list is divided into several sections, one for each deanery in the diocese.
Administra ...
References
External links
*
{{use dmy dates, date=June 2021
Churches in Trondheim
Churches in Trøndelag
Long churches in Norway
Stone churches in Norway
12th-century churches in Norway
Churches completed in 1180
12th-century establishments in Norway
Norwegian election church