Nordre Osen Church ( no, Nordre Osen kirke) 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 ...

Åmot Municipality Åmot is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rena. Other villages in the municipality include Åsta, Osneset, a ...

in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Osneset. It is the church for the Nordre Osen parish which is part of the Sør-Østerdal 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 Hamar The Diocese of Hamar ( no, Hamar Bispedømme) is a diocese within the Church of Norway. The Diocese of Hamar includes all of the churches in Innlandet county plus the churches in Lunner in Viken county. Administratively, the diocese is divided ...

. The brown, 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 1923 using plans drawn up by the architect Ivar Viehe-Næss. The church seats about 316 people.

History

The over 150-year-old

Nordre Osen Church Nordre Osen Church ( no, Nordre Osen kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Åmot Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Osneset. It is the church for the Nordre Osen parish which is part of the Sø ...

gradually became too small, and it was cold and drafty. There were various plans to expand and upgrade it, but it was eventually decided to build a new church about south of the old church. The new building was designed by Ivar Viehe-Næss, who was born in Osneset, but was then living in Chicago. It is a long church with an asymmetrically placed tower with a church porch next to it on the west end of the building. To the east is a chancel with sacristies on each side. New at that time (and rarely seen in Norwegian churches prior to that time) was that the church had a finished basement. This was supposedly an American element since the architect had worked in the United States. The lower floor houses the assembly hall, kitchen, bathrooms, and storage areas. The new church was

consecrated 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 ...

on 24 August 1923. After the new church was completed the

Old Nordre Osen Church Old Nordre Osen Church ( no, Nordre Osen gamle kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Åmot Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Osneset. It is the church for the Nordre Osen parish which is part ...

was taken out of regular use and essentially turned into a museum. The old church was renamed the "Old Nordre Osen Church" and the new building retained the historic name "Nordre Osen Church". The old church is still owned by the parish and it is occasionally used for special events such as weddings and other celebrations. There is one service held in the church each year on

Olsok Olsok ("Olaf's Wake" or "Olaf's Vigil") is a national day of celebration on July 29 in the Nordic countries of Norway and the Faroe Islands, and also in the provinces of Härjedalen in Sweden and Savonlinna in Finland. Background King Olaf II H ...

References

{{use dmy dates, date=December 2021 Åmot Churches in Innlandet Long churches in Norway Wooden churches in Norway 20th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1923 1923 establishments in Norway

History

See also

References