Nes Church ( no, Nes kyrkje) is a
parish church 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 ...
in
Luster Municipality in
Vestland county,
Norway. It is located in the village of
Nes, on the western shore of the
Lustrafjorden. It is the church for the Nes
parish which is part of the
Sogn prosti (
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 Bjørgvin
The Diocese of Bjørgvin ( no, Bjørgvin bispedømme) is one of the 11 dioceses that make up the Church of Norway. It includes all of the churches located in the county of Vestland in Western Norway. The cathedral city is Bergen, Norway's second ...
. The white, wooden church was built in a
long church
Church building in Norway began when Christianity was established there around the year 1000. The first buildings may have been post churches erected in the 10th or 11th century, but the evidence is inconclusive. For instance under Urnes Stave C ...
design in 1836 using plans drawn up by the
architect Hans Ditlev Franciscus Linstow. The church seats about 110 people.
History
The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1322, but that was not the year of construction. The first church on this site was a wooden
stave church, likely built in the early 1300s. In 1686, the building was described as having a
nave. In 1722, the 400-year-old building was described as having a pointed tower in the center of the roof and the interior was well-maintained in every way. In 1835, the ancient church was torn down. The following year, a new church was completed just south of the site of the old church building. Some of the materials from the old stave church were reused in the new church. The new building was
consecrate
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
d in 1836 by the local
Dean Wilhelm Christian Magelsen. The new church was described as being rather plain, similar to a square box with unpainted plank walls inside (others thought it was quite ugly). In 1909, the church was extensively rebuilt according to drawings by
Schak Bull
Schak August Steenberg Bull (10 May 1858 – 25 January 1956) was a Norwegian architect.
Personal life
He was born in Årstad (municipality), Årstad as the son of Colonel Jens Munthe Bull (1815-1905) and his wife Johanne Margrethe Hagerup (18 ...
. This included a new
church porch and
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 ...
were added improve the look of the church on the outside, plus there were several minor changes and paint on the inside to make the church more attractive. In the 1950s, the church received electric lighting and heating.
Media gallery
Nes kirke, 2016-1.jpg
Nes kirke, 2016-2.jpg
Nes kirke, 2016-3.jpg
Nes kirke, 2016-4.jpg
Nes kyrkje Sogn Wilse.jpeg
Nes kyrkje Sogn Wilse (cropped).jpeg
Front piece from altar from 14th century, Nes kyrkje, Luster.jpg, Altarpiece from 14th century church
Nes gml kirke fra bygdebok 1926.jpg, Before the 1909 renovations
See also
*
List of churches in Bjørgvin
References
{{use dmy dates, date=October 2021
Luster, Norway
Churches in Vestland
Long churches in Norway
Wooden churches in Norway
19th-century Church of Norway church buildings
Churches completed in 1836
14th-century establishments in Norway