Old Ålgård Church ( no, Ålgård gamle kirke) is a historic

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 ...

Gjesdal Municipality Gjesdal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ålgår ...

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 47 ...

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

Ålgård Ålgård (historic: ''Aalgaard'') is the administrative centre of Gjesdal municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located along the European route E39 highway, about southeast of the city of Sandnes in the Jæren district of t ...

. It used to be the main church for the Ålgård

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

Jæren prosti This list of churches in Rogaland is a list of the Church of Norway churches in Rogaland county, Norway. The churches are all part of the Diocese of Stavanger. The diocese is based at the Stavanger Cathedral in the city of Stavanger. The list ...

(

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 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 and an

art nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

style in 1917 using designs 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 ...

Ole Stein. The church seats about 250 people.

History

Work began on the new church on 20 March 1916 when a groundbreaking ceremony was held. The church 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 on 11 May 1917 by the Bishop Bernt Støylen. The church cost about to build. There are several bullet holes in the exterior of the church that were caused by skirmishes during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

when the Germans occupied Norway. In the 1960s, the church was renovated and refurbished. After 98 years in use, the church became too small for the congregation and it was replaced in 2015 by the new

Ålgård Church Ålgård Church ( no, Ålgård kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Gjesdal Municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Ålgård. It is the main church for the Ålgård parish which is part of the Jær ...

, located directly across the street. The old church is no longer used for regular services, but it is used for special occasions such as weddings.

Media gallery

Ålgård kirke.jpg Ålgård kirkested.jpg Ålgård stasjon og kirke.jpg Aalgaard kirke 2.jpg

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Aalgaard Church Gjesdal Churches in Rogaland Wooden churches in Norway 20th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1917 1917 establishments in Norway

History

Media gallery

See also

References