Ålesund Church ( no, Ålesund kyrkje) 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 in

Ålesund Municipality Ålesund () sometimes spelled Aalesund in English, is a list of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Møre og Romsdal counties of Norway, County, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Sunnmøre and the centr ...

in Møre og Romsdal 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 the ...

. It is located in the center of the town of Ålesund, on the island of

Aspøy Aspøya is an island in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The island is one of the islands on which the city of Ålesund is built. The other islands are Hessa (to the west) and Nørvøya (to the east). Aspøya is the ...

a. It is one of two churches for the Ålesund

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 o ...

which is part of the

Nordre Sunnmøre prosti ''Nordre'' (Northern), formerly known as ''Haramsnytt'' (The Haram News), is a local Norwegian newspaper covering events in the northern part of the municipality of Ålesund in Møre og Romsdal county. History The newspaper was established as ''Ha ...

( deanery) in the

Diocese of Møre The Diocese of Møre ( no, Møre bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway which geographically consists of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Its bishop is seated at the Molde Cathedral which is located in the county administrative center ...

. The large, stone church was built in a long church design and in the Art Nouveau style in 1909 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 ...

Sverre Knudsen. The church seats about 800 people.

History

Historically, the area of Ålesund was part of the Borgund Church parish. In 1848,

Ålesund Ålesund () sometimes spelled Aalesund in English, is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal County, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre and the centre of the Ålesund Region. The town of Ålesund is the administrativ ...

was established as a

kjøpstad A (historically: ''kjøbstad'', ''kjöbstad'', or ''kaupstad'') is an old Scandinavian term for a "market town" that was used in the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway for several hundred years. The name comes from the on, kaupstaðr. Kjøpstads were ...

and soon after it was granted permission to build a church. The first church in Ålesund was constructed in 1853-1854 and it was consecrated on 25 January 1855. The new church became its own parish in 1858. The new church was designed by the

Heinrich Ernst Schirmer Heinrich Ernst Schirmer (27 August 1814 – 6 December 1887) was a German-born architect most noted for his work in Norway. Schirmer worked in Norway from 1838 to 1883 and left his mark on a number of public buildings. He contributed significant ...

. The church's design was very similar to the Strøm Church in

Sør-Odal 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 ...

municipality in

Hedmark Hedmark () was a county in Norway before 1 January 2020, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar. Hedmark and Oppland counties were merged int ...

county. It was built out of brick and it had 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 describe ...

design. The exterior brick was left unpainted, but the western tower was covered in white plaster. On 23 January 1904, the church was destroyed by the great

Ålesund fire The Ålesund fire happened on 23 January 1904 in the Norwegian city of Ålesund. It destroyed almost the whole city centre, built mostly of wood, like the majority of Norwegian towns at the time. The town has since been rebuilt and it is now t ...

. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed and nearly the entire town had to be rebuilt. Afterwards, a competition of architects was held to design the new, replacement church building. Sverre Knudsen was chosen as the person to design the new Ålesund Church. The new church was to be located on the same site as the previous church, although its orientation was reversed (entrance on the east end and 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 sp ...

on the west end). The

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

for the new church was laid down on 13 July 1906 by the new

King Haakon VII Haakon VII (; born Prince Carl of Denmark; 3 August 187221 September 1957) was the King of Norway from November 1905 until his death in September 1957. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen as the son of the future Frederick VI ...

. The church is a three aisled long church constructed out of stone. Roughly of

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

cover the church's

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...

. The church took about three years to be completed and it was consecrated on 15 September 1909. The tower is asymmetrically located on the south side of the building.

Media gallery

Alesund Kirke - panoramio.jpg Iglesia parroquial, Ålesund, Noruega, 2019-09-01, DD 77.jpg Ålesund - Eglise.JPG 104 Kongen nedlæger Grundstenen til Kirken. Aalesund - no-nb digifoto 20160217 00019 bldsa PK13897.jpg, King Haakon VII laying the foundation stone Ålesund - no-nb digifoto 20150211 00154 NB MIT FNR 16794.jpg Die Alesunder Kirche ist ein beeindruckendes Gesamtkunstwerk. 10.jpg Die Alesunder Kirche ist ein beeindruckendes Gesamtkunstwerk. 09.jpg Die Alesunder Kirche ist ein beeindruckendes Gesamtkunstwerk. 12.jpg Die Alesunder Kirche ist ein beeindruckendes Gesamtkunstwerk. 15.jpg Cementerio de la iglesia parroquial, Ålesund, Noruega, 2019-09-01, DD 81-85 PAN.jpg, Cemetery

References

External links

Maria & Ronny Got Married, "The Surprise" - Ålesund Church - Norway (HD)
extensively shows the interior of Ålesund Church, including the choir loft. {{DEFAULTSORT:Aalesund Church Buildings and structures in Ålesund Churches in Møre og Romsdal Long churches in Norway Stone churches in Norway Art Nouveau church buildings in Norway 20th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1909 1855 establishments in Norway

History

Media gallery

See also

References

External links