Strusshamn Church ( no, Strusshamn 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 ...
in
Askøy Municipality
Askøy is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The island municipality is located in the Midhordland district of the county, sitting in a large group of islands immediately northwest of the city of Bergen. The administrative centre of the ...
in
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 village of
Strusshamn
Strusshamn is an urban village in the municipality of Askøy in Vestland county, Norway. The village lies along the Byfjorden on the southern coast of the island of Askøy, just west of the large urban village of Kleppestø. Strusshamn is one of ...
. It is the church for the Strusshamn
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
Vesthordland 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 large concrete and glass church was built in a
fan-shaped design in 1969 using plans drawn up by the architects
Torgeir Alvsaker
Torgeir Alvsaker (1875—1971) was a Norwegian architect.
Alvsaker was born 9 February 1875 on the Alvsaker farm in Kinsarvik, Norway. He attended the Bergen Technical School and graduated in 1898. He then became an assistant to architect Ad ...
and
Einar Vaardal-Lunde
Einar Vaardal-Lunde (1915–2003) was a Norwegian architect.
Vaardal-Lunde was educated at the Norwegian Institute of Technology, graduating in 1940. After World War II, he participated in the rebuilding efforts and reconstruction in Finnmar ...
. The church seats about 500 people.
History
First church
In 1741, the areas of
Askøy
Askøy is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The island municipality is located in the Midhordland district of the county, sitting in a large group of islands immediately northwest of the city of Bergen. The administrative centre of the ...
and
Laksevåg
Laksevåg is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is located in the western part of the municipality. Historically, the area was called ''Laxevaag'', and it was a separate municipality until 1972 when it was m ...
were separated from the main
Bergen Cathedral
Bergen Cathedral ( no, Bergen domkirke) is a cathedral in the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. It is the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Bjørgvin as well as the seat of the "Bergen domkirke" parish and the seat of the Bergen domprosti ...
parish and they became a parish of their own. It was decided that the old
Ask Church
Ask Church ( no, Ask kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Askøy Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Ask, on the eastern coast of the island of Askøy. It is the church for the Ask parish which ...
was too small, and not centrally located so the old church was torn down in 1741. Soon after, a new church was built in the village of
Strusshamn
Strusshamn is an urban village in the municipality of Askøy in Vestland county, Norway. The village lies along the Byfjorden on the southern coast of the island of Askøy, just west of the large urban village of Kleppestø. Strusshamn is one of ...
, near the foot of "Church Mountain" ( nn, Kyrkjefjellet), about north of the present site of the church. This became the new Strusshamn Church which was the main church for Askøy and Laksevåg. The new church was a small
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 with 238 seats and 63 standing places. The church measured long, wide, and tall.
In 1814, this church served as an
election church
An election church ( no, valgkirke) is a term used for approximately 300 churches in Norway that were used as polling stations during the elections to the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll in 1814. This was Norway's first national election ...
( no, valgkirke).
Together with more than 300 other parish churches across Norway, it was a polling station for elections to the 1814
Norwegian Constituent Assembly
The Norwegian Constituent Assembly (in Norwegian ''Grunnlovsforsamlingen'', also known as ''Riksforsamlingen'') is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway, that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised th ...
which wrote the
Constitution of Norway
nb, Kongeriket Norges Grunnlov
nn, Kongeriket Noregs Grunnlov
, jurisdiction =Kingdom of Norway
, date_created =10 April - 16 May 1814
, date_ratified =16 May 1814
, system =Constitutional monarchy
, b ...
. This was Norway's first national elections. Each
church 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 ...
was a constituency that elected people called "electors" who later met together in each county to elect the representatives for the assembly that was to meet in
Eidsvoll
Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet.
General information
E ...
later that year.
During the night of 8 September 1861, a fire started in the flour mill next door to the church, and both buildings burned down.
Second church
Work immediately started to build a new church. It was decided to build the replacement church about south of the old church site, on a small
headland
A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, John ...
in the harbour. The new church was built by architect
Georg Andreas Bull
Georg Andreas Bull (26 March 1829 – 1 February 1917) was a Norwegian architect and chief building inspector in Christiania (now Oslo) for forty years. He was among the major architects in the country, and performed surveying studies and arche ...
(the brother of the more famous
Ole Bull
Ole Bornemann Bull (; 5 February 181017 August 1880) was a Norwegian virtuoso violinist and composer. According to Robert Schumann, he was on a level with Niccolò Paganini for the speed and clarity of his playing.
Biography
Background
Bull was ...
) and the lead builder was Askild Aase. This was a wooden
cruciform church with a total of 727 seats. The new church had a
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 and a
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ove ...
measuring wide on the east end of the building along with a small
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 ...
. A
church porch
A church porch is a room-like structure at a church's main entrance. A porch protects from the weather to some extent. Some porches have an outer door, others a simple gate, and in some cases the outer opening is not closed in any way.
The porch ...
with a tower was on the west end of the nave. Overall, the entire church was long and wide across the
transept
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...
. The new church was finished in 1864 and it 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 by Bishop
Peder Hersleb Graah Birkeland
Peter Hersleb Graah Birkeland (14 January 1807–5 January 1896) was a Norwegian priest in the Church of Norway. He served as Bishop of the Diocese of Bjørgvin from 1864–1880.
Early life and family
Peter Birkeland was born in the village ...
on 30 September 1864. After the fire at the old church, some items were recovered from the old church and moved to the new church. This included two brass chandeliers, two apostle figures, and a mass
vestment
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially by Eastern Churches, Catholics (of all rites), Anglicans, and Lutherans. Many other groups also make use of liturgical garments; this ...
. The
altarpiece
An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...
, painted by Johan Ludvig Losting, was also rescued from the old church. The church was significantly remodeled in 1920 when it was wired for electricity. The last renovation was done in 1964 to celebrate its centennial anniversary. Then on the night of 29-30 January 1966, there was a fire and this church burned to the ground also. Only a few things were saved including two candlesticks and a baptismal bowl.
Third church
The present church was built shortly after the 1966 fire 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
Torgeir Alvsaker
Torgeir Alvsaker (1875—1971) was a Norwegian architect.
Alvsaker was born 9 February 1875 on the Alvsaker farm in Kinsarvik, Norway. He attended the Bergen Technical School and graduated in 1898. He then became an assistant to architect Ad ...
and Einar Vaardal-Lunde. This church was built out of concrete and glass and it is able to seat about 500 people. This 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 ...
by Bishop
Per Juvkam
Per Juvkam (1907–2003) was a Norwegian Lutheran Bishop. He was born in 1907 in Sør-Aurdal in Oppland county, Norway. He served as Bishop of the Diocese of Bjørgvin from 1961 to 1977.
Juvkam began his career as a priest in Vestre Toten ...
on 11 May 1969. The church was greatly expanded in 2009 by adding a large interior atrium and two church halls. The expansion nearly doubled the area of the building.
Media gallery
Strusshavn Church - panoramio.jpg, Present church exterior (2011)
Strusshamn kirke - 20060521.jpg, Exterior view (2006)
Strusshamn kirke T263 01 0456.jpg, Exterior view of the 2nd church (c. 1930)
Strusshamn kirke T263 01 0455.jpg, Interior view of the 2nd church (c. 1930)
See also
*
List of churches in Bjørgvin
The list of churches in Bjørgvin is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Bjørgvin which includes all of Vestland county in Norway. The list is divided into several sections, one for each deanery (; headed by a Provost (rel ...
References
{{use dmy dates, date=November 2021
Askøy
Churches in Vestland
Fan-shaped churches in Norway
Concrete churches in Norway
1741 establishments in Norway
Churches completed in 1741
Buildings and structures demolished in 1861
Churches completed in 1864
Buildings and structures demolished in 1966
Churches completed in 1969
20th-century Church of Norway church buildings
Norwegian election church