Høvåg Church ( no, Høvåg 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 The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...

Lillesand Municipality Lillesand () is municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Lillesand. Some of the larger villages in Lillesand municipality include ...

in Agder 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 t ...

. It is located in the village of

Høvåg Høvåg (historically: ''Høvaag'') is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1865 until its dissolution in 1962. It was located in the southern part of the present-day municipality of Lill ...

. It is the church for the Høvåg

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 ...

which is part of the

Vest-Nedenes prosti This list of churches in Agder og Telemark is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark in Agder and Vestfold og Telemark counties in southern Norway. The diocese is based at the Kristiansand Cathedral in the cit ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

) in the

Diocese of Agder og Telemark The Diocese of Agder og Telemark ( no, Agder og Telemark bispedømme) is a diocese of the Church of Norway, covering all of Agder county and most of Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. The cathedral city is Kristiansand, Norway's fifth larges ...

. The white, stone church was built in a

cruciform Cruciform is a term for physical manifestations resembling a common cross or Christian cross. The label can be extended to architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described ...

design around the year 1100 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 315 people.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1416, but the church was likely old by then. The first church on the site was likely a Romanesque stone church that was built around the year 1100. The church was about long at the time of its construction. In 1767, the church was enlarged by adding on to the east and west ends of the building, about doubling the length of the building. In 1828, the church was renovated and enlarged by adding a wing to the north which became the main

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

for the church, with cross-arms going to the east and west. The new design of the building then had 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 ...

located in the intersection of the three wings of the T-shaped church. At the same time, a

sacristy 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 ...

was also added along the south side of the building. In 1831, the church was enlarged again to the west, by adding a wooden structure with a tower and steeple on top. Around 1900, the church received a new entry porch at the end of the northern cross arm. This small addition was described in 1912 as tacky and dilapidated, and in 1913 it was torn down and rebuilt. The interior was significantly changed around 1900. In 1960, the addition from 1831 (under the tower) was converted into meeting rooms and a baptismal sacristy. In 1998, there was a bathroom built along the south side.

Altarpiece

The

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...

is a triptych from about 1620 by an unknown artist. It represents ''faith, hope and love''. The center part of the altarpiece represents the resurrected Christ (''love''). To the left is the woman Fides (''faith'') with a cross and a lime in her hands. The woman to the right is Spec (''hope'') who has a bird in her hand.

Media gallery

Høvåg kirke, Aust-Agder - Riksantikvaren-T197 01 0009.jpg, Historic view of the building Høvåg kirkes altertavle T197 01 0010.jpg, View of the altarpiece

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hovaag Church Lillesand Churches in Agder Stone churches in Norway Cruciform churches in Norway 12th-century churches in Norway 12th-century establishments in Norway

History

Altarpiece

Media gallery

See also

References