Oppstad Church ( no, Oppstad kirke) is a

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 ...

Sør-Odal Municipality Sør-Odal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Odalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skarnes. Other villages in Sør-Odal include Disenå and Sander. The ...

Innlandet Innlandet is a county in Norway. It was created on 1 January 2020 with the merger of the old counties of Oppland and Hedmark (the municipalities of Jevnaker and Lunner were transferred to the neighboring county of Viken on the same date). The ...

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 Oppstad. It is the church for the Oppstad

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

Solør, Vinger og Odal prosti The list of churches in Hamar is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Hamar which includes all of Innlandet county (plus two municipalities in Viken county) in Norway. The list is divided into several sections, one for each d ...

(

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 white, wooden church was built in a

cruciform Cruciform is a term for physical manifestations resembling a common cross or Christian cross. The label can be extended to architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described ...

design in 1725 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 200 people.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1394, but the church was not new that year. The first church in Oppstad was a small, wooden

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 a ...

that was likely built during the 13th century. This church was dedicated to

St. Hallvard ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

. Not much is known about this building. By the early 1600s, the old church was quite dilapidated and it was decided to replace the building. In 1634, the old church was torn down and a new church building was constructed on the same site. The new church was a

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 ...

building. At some point there was a fire in the church, but it was repaired. By the time the church was about 90 years old, it was in very poor condition, so it was decided to replace the building. In 1725, the tower from the 1634 building was saved, but the rest of the old church was torn down. A new

building with about 200 seats. The

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

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 ...

are in the eastern wing of the church and there is a church porch with the old tower above it attached to the western wing. 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 ...

in 1725. In the 1780s, it was found that the tower was leaning to the east, and it had to be repaired. The church was extensively restored in 1875 under the leadership of

Günther Schüssler Johan Heinrich Günther Schüssler (1835—1898) was a German-born architect and builder who worked in Norway, primarily in the area from Kongsvinger to Lillehammer. Schüssler's work is characterized by neo-Gothic and Swiss chalet style. He ...

. The interior walls were paneled, covering up the log walls. The church got a neo-Gothic feel as old furniture was replaced. In the 1930s, the interior was restored to its original appearance, the wall paneling was removed and old furniture was used again.

Media gallery

FV284 Oppstad kirke.JPG, View of the front of the church Oppstad kirke ved Skarnes - no-nb digifoto 20151008 00077 NB MIT FNR 08055.jpg, View of the church (c. 1950) 218 Parti ved Opstad Kirke - no-nb digifoto 20150805 00156 bldsa PK28999.jpg, View of the church (c. 1915)

References

{{use dmy dates, date=January 2022 Sør-Odal Churches in Innlandet Cruciform churches in Norway Wooden churches in Norway 18th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1725 13th-century establishments in Norway

History

Media gallery

See also

References