Rennebu Church ( no, Rennebu 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 ...

Rennebu Rennebu is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Orkdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Berkåk, located along European route E6. The majority of the population lives in the vill ...

municipality in

Trøndelag Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denmar ...

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 Voll, along the river

Orkla Orkla may refer to: Places * Orkla (river), a river in Trøndelag county, Norway Business * Orkla Group (or ''Orkla ASA''), a large Norwegian company * Orkla Mining Company, a historic company in Norway * Orkla Metall, a former smelting company ...

. It is the main church for the Rennebu

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

Gauldal prosti This list of churches in Nidaros is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Nidaros which covers all of Trøndelag county in Norway. The list is divided into several sections, one for each deanery in the diocese. Administra ...

(

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 Nidaros Nidaros is a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Norway. It covers Trøndelag county in Central Norway and its cathedral city is Trondheim, which houses the well-known Nidaros Cathedral. Since 10 September 2017, the Bishop of Nidaros is Herborg ...

. The red, wooden church was built in a Y-shaped design in 1669 using plans drawn up 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 ...

s Titus Bülche and

Ole Jonsen Hindrum Ole Jonsen Hindrum was a Norwegian builder and architect. He was a noted church builder in Trøndelag county, particularly specializing in the rare and unique Y-shaped floor plan. Ole Jonsen Hindrum was born around the year 1625 in Hindrem in L ...

. It is the oldest of the four existing Y-shaped churches in Norway. The church seats about 292 people.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1297, but the church was not new that year. The first church in Rennebu was a

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 12th century. The first church was located at Voll, about to the northeast of the present church site. A preserved portal from the old stave church that is now in a museum is dated to approximately 1120-1150, meaning the church was likely constructed around that time. From 1668-1669, a new Y-shaped wooden church was constructed about southwest of the old church. After the new church was completed, the old stave church was torn down. Some of the interior furniture from the old stave church was reused in the new church. The church was originally only tarred on the outside, but later, the walls were paneled and painted red. The rare Y-shape of the building has three arms. The eastern arm contains 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 ...

. The other two arms were the

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 ...

. The southwestern arm had an entry porch attached and this was the main entrance to the church. In the 1870s, an entry porch was added to the northwestern arm as well. During the renovation of 1873–1881, the paneling on the outer walls was replaced, and the church exterior was painted white. In addition, the interior walls were clad with paneling, and a neo-Gothic cross partition, new benches, and pointed arched windows were installed. The church was restored in 1948-1952 under the leadership of

John Tverdahl John Egil Tverdahl (1890 in Trondheim – 1969) was a Norwegian architect. Tverdahl designed many churches as well as led the restoration of several churches that were located in Nordmøre, Trøndelag, and Nordland in northern Norway. Tverdahl w ...

. During this restoration, it was brought back to its original design including the exterior red color. Inside the church, the wall paneling and the neo-Gothic cross partition were removed, the

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

with ceiling was restored, the windows were changed and the church was given new

pew A pew () is a long bench (furniture), bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating Member (local church), members of a Church (congregation), congregation or choir in a Church (building), church, synagogue or sometimes a courtroom. Overview ...

References

{{use dmy dates, date=June 2021 Rennebu Churches in Trøndelag Y-shaped churches in Norway Wooden churches in Norway 17th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1669 12th-century establishments in Norway

History

See also

References