Forsand Church ( no, Forsand kyrkje) 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 the eastern part of the large Sandnes Municipality in Rogaland 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 Forsand, near the mouth to the

Lysefjorden Lysefjord or Lysefjorden is a fjord located in the Ryfylke area in Rogaland county in southwestern Norway. The long fjord lies in the municipalities of Strand, Norway, Strand and Sandnes, about east of the Stavanger (city), city of Stavanger. T ...

. It is one of the two churches for the Forsand

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 Sandnes prosti ( deanery) in the

Diocese of Stavanger The Diocese of Stavanger ( no, Stavanger bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers all of Rogaland county in western Norway. The cathedral city is Stavanger, where the Stavanger Cathedral is located. The bishop is Anne Li ...

. The white, wooden church was built in a long church design in 1854 by the builder Tollak Tollaksen Gudmestad 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 ...

Hans Linstow. The church seats about 300 people.

History

In 1854, the new parish of Forsand was approved. Construction on the new church began on 13 May 1854, shortly before the government approved the new church. The church was consecrated on 10 October 1854 by the Bishop

Jacob von der Lippe Jacob von der Lippe (27 September 1797–2 October 1878) was a Norwegian politician and priest who served as Bishop of the Diocese of Christianssand from 1841 to 1875. He was also a member of the Parliament of Norway for a total of eight ...

. In 1963, 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 ...

was expanded, the pulpit was lowered, and the floor was raised and insulated. The church also received electric heating. On 19 June 2016, a large triangular addition to the church was completed on the south side of the church, adding bathrooms, small group rooms, a chapel, and a kitchen.

References

{{use dmy dates, date=October 2020 Sandnes Churches in Rogaland Wooden churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1854 1854 establishments in Norway

History

See also

References