Old Åsane Church ( no, Åsane gamle kirke) 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 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 ...

Bergen Municipality Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

Vestland Vestland is a county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Bergen, where t ...

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 Saurås neighborhood in the borough of Åsane in the city of

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

. It used to be the church for the Åsane

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 Åsane 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, stone 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 1795 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 240 people. 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 in 1795 by the Bishop

Johan Nordahl Brun Johan Nordahl Brun (21 March 1745 – 26 July 1816) was a Norwegian-Danish poet, dramatist, bishop of Bergen (1804–1816), and politician who contributed significantly to the growth of national romanticism in Norway, contributing to the growing ...

. The church is no longer regularly used since the "new"

Åsane Church Åsane Church ( no, Åsane kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Bergen Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the borough of Åsane in the city of Bergen. It is the church for the Åsane parish which is part of t ...

was built in 1993. This church is now mostly used for funerals and weddings as well as special events.

Name

The church was historically called (Åsane Church), but in the 20th century, it used the modern Norwegian spelling of . Since the new

was completed, the church has been known as the . The word means "old".

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1598, but the chapel was not new that year. The first chapel in Åsane was wooden stave church that was likely built during the 13th century. The church was an annex chapel under the nearby

Hamre Church Hamre Church ( no, Hamre kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Osterøy Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Hamre. It is the church for the Hamre parish which is part of the Åsane prosti (dean ...

for many centuries and it was used by people living on the Åsane peninsula. In 1695, the chapel was repaired and renovated by building a new

timber-framed Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

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 ...

and a new roof. The old wooden chapel stood there for about 500 years, before it was torn down and replaced with a new stone church in 1795. The walls were stone covered in plaster, and the gables and tower were wooden. Local tradition says that the new stone church was erected around the outside of the old wooden building so that it could be used during the construction. The new church had a rectangular

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 ...

measuring about and a narrower, rectangular

measuring about . The stone walls of the church measure about thick. The new church was

d in 1795 by the Bishop

. In 1842, the tower was repaired and rebuilt, slightly taller. In 1866, the roof was repaired and covered with slate tiles. In 1867–1868, the church had a major restoration. It received a new floor, new chairs, and a new second floor seating gallery on the west end. In 1871, the chapel was designated as a church and it became a separate parish. In 1891–1893, the church was remodeled and enlarged. The

was extended by about to the west and a new church porch was built on the west end of the nave. In 1935, the church was restored by Ole Landmark and had a large stone

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 ...

built perpendicular to the

's north wall. Starting in the 1960s, discussions began about replacing the old church with a new, larger, more functional church for the quickly growing urban area of Åsane, but nothing was done at that point. On

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

1992, the church was set on fire by Jørn Tunsberg and it sustained heavy damage. The roof and tower burned, but the thick stone walls and foundation remained. At this point, the parish determined a new church should be built, but that the historic church should be rebuilt as well. A new, larger

was built about to the south in 1993. After that, the old church was completely rebuilt using same foundation and stone walls. Old photographs and pictures of the church were used to make sure the replacement would be the same as before. The church building was replaced, but many historic artifacts and artwork were lost in the fire. The rebuilt church was re-

d on 19 November 1995 by the Bishop Ole Danbolt Hagesæther and at this point, the church was renamed as the "Old Åsane Church". Since being rebuilt, the church has been used for special occasions like weddings, funerals, and special services, but it is not regularly used.

Media gallery

Åsane gamle kirke - langside mot nord.jpg Åsane gamle kirke - med gravplass.jpg Åsane gamle kirke.jpg Åsane gamle kirke 2.jpg Åsane gamle kirke 3.jpg Åsane kirke - koret.JPG Minnestein.jpg Fridomsstriden.JPG

References

External links

Photo of the interior from 1935
{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Aasane Church Churches in Bergen Long churches in Norway Stone churches in Norway 18th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1795 13th-century establishments in Norway Churches destroyed by arson Buildings and structures in Norway destroyed by arson

Name

History

Media gallery

See also

References

External links