Old Stordal Church ( no, Stordal gamle kyrkje) or the is a former

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 Fjord Municipality in Møre og Romsdal 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 Stordal. It is now a museum owned by the

Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments ( no, Fortidsminneforeningen) is an organization focused on conservation preservation in Norway. The Society was founded in 1844. The founders were painters, historians, art historians ...

. It was once the church for the Stordal

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

Nordre Sunnmøre prosti ''Nordre'' (Northern), formerly known as ''Haramsnytt'' (The Haram News), is a local Norwegian newspaper covering events in the northern part of the municipality of Ålesund in Møre og Romsdal county. History The newspaper was established as ''Ha ...

( deanery) in the

Diocese of Møre The Diocese of Møre ( no, Møre bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway which geographically consists of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Its bishop is seated at the Molde Cathedral which is located in the county administrative center ...

Design

The white, wooden church was built in an

octagonal In geometry, an octagon (from the Greek ὀκτάγωνον ''oktágōnon'', "eight angles") is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, w ...

style in 1789 to replace an earlier

stave church A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the building's structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts ar ...

on the site. The building was designed by local priest Ebbe Carsten Tønder who died four years before construction was completed, so it must have been planned at the time of

Norddal Church Norddal Church ( no, Norddal kyrkje), also known as Dale Church ( no, Dale kyrkje), is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Norddal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the village of Norddal, on the south s ...

(completed 1782). Tønder came from Trondheim and may have been inspired by the two older octagonal churches there. This church was built by the people of the Stordal parish and it was regularly used until 1908 when the new Stordal Church was completed, about to the west. The church seats about 170 people. The church is also known as the no, Rosekyrkja or "Rose Church" because the interior walls and ceilings are painted with

rosemaling Rose-painting, , or is a Scandinavian decorative folk painting that flourished from the 1700s to the mid-19th century, particularly in Norway. In Sweden, rose-painting began to be called , c. 1901, for the region where it had been most popular ...

, a decorative style of painting that is common in Norway. It is one of the most decorated churches in Norway. Wood materials from the stave church was probably reused, such as in the roof of the vestibule and the four large columns. There is a crucifix (13th century) and a baptismal font from the older church. The stave church was likely rose painted inside too.

Interior

While the exterior is plain white, the interior (walls, columns, ceiling) is richly decorated. The style is 18th century renaissance. Along walls there are images of Biblical characters and events. The five "bad maidens" and five "god maidens" are depicted on the north wall, or the left hand side that was traditionally women's side. The message reads: "Do not be reckless like the bad maidens that lost their bridegroom and forgot their beatitude." David and Goliath and Samson and the lion are also on the north wall. The apostles are portrayed on the south wall, while the evangelists can be seen above the entrance to the choir.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to 1432, but it wasn't new at that time. The first church in Stordal was a wooden

that may have been built in the 14th century. The church is listed in Aslak Bolt's cadastre and later records.

Hans Strøm Hans Strøm (25 January 1726 – 1 February 1797) was a Norwegian clergyman. He also became a prominent zoologist and naturalist. He is best associated with his topographical description of the traditional district of Sunnmøre. Life Hans S ...

in 1766 described the old

: "It is a small and modest stave church, that is not particular in any way. The building is maintained by the congregation that also owns it." The church was described as being rectangular and measuring . In 1788, the old stave church was torn down and replaced by a brand new church on the same site the following year. The church from 1789 is still standing, but it was taken out of use in 1907 when the new Stordal Church was built. In 1908, the old church was purchased by the

which has preserved it as a museum since that time.

Gallery

Rosekyrkja interior.JPG, Interior seen from balcony Rosekyrkja pulpit.JPG, Pulpit Rosekyrkja altar.JPG, Altar, crucifix, baptismal font Rosekyrkja Markus lucas.JPG, Marc and Luke, the evangelists Rosekyrkja bad maidens.JPG, The five "bad maidens", message below Rosekyrkja ceiling.JPG, Ceiling, rope to church bells Rosekyrkja model ship.JPG, Model ship over nave Rosekyrkja bench with name.JPG, Seats with name of owner Rosekyrkja decorated door.JPG, Message on entrance door Außen schlicht, innen farbenfroh, die alte Kirche von Stordal. 07.jpg, Stordal-gamlekyrkje-HH.jpg, Stordal gamle kyrkje side.JPG, Rosekyrkja mot nord.JPG, View to north, entrance left hand Stordal gamle kyrkje mur.JPG, Stone fence, east facade Rosekyrkja tower.JPG, Tower

References

{{use dmy dates, date=July 2021 Fjord (municipality) Churches in Møre og Romsdal Wooden churches in Norway Octagonal churches in Norway 18th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1789 14th-century establishments in Norway Stordal Church

Design

Interior

History

Gallery

See also

References