Ørsta Church () is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

of the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

Ørsta Municipality is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Møre og Romsdal Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre Districts of Norway, region of Western Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Ørsta (v ...

in Møre og Romsdal county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is located in the village of Ørsta. It is the church for the Ørsta

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

which is part of the Søre Sunnmøre prosti (

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the 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 residence of ...

) in the Diocese of Møre. The white, wooden church was built in a long church design in 1864 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 Heinrich Ernst Schirmer and Wilhelm von Hanno. The church seats about 350 people.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to 1385, but the church wasn't new at that time. The first church was a wooden stave church that was likely built during the 12th century. The original church was located about west of the present-day church site. The original floor plan was that it was a rectangular long church design with a narrower

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

, very similar to the Kvernes Stave Church. Probably during the 1500s or 1600s, the church was enlarged by building transepts to the north and south of the nave, creating a

cruciform A cruciform is a physical manifestation resembling a common cross or Christian cross. These include architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described as having a cruciform ...

floor plan. The additions were all built using stave church construction. After this renovation, the church nave measured about and the church porch on the west end measured . In 1665, the roof was severely damaged due to a lightning strike and a new roof was built. In 1699, the old, medieval church was renovated and refurbished. By the 1860s, the old church was in poor condition and it was decided to build a new church and tear down the old church. In 1862, the parish hired the

s Heinrich Ernst Schirmer and Wilhelm von Hanno to design the new church and Jacob Ørstenvig was hired as the lead builder. In 1864, the old church was torn down and work began on a new church about to the east of the old church site. Some of the building materials as well as some of the interior furnishings of the old church were reused in the new church. Some of the interior design elements were inspired by the historic Urnes Stave Church. The new building was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

on 4 December 1864. In 1953, the church porch was torn down and rebuilt. The porch originally had a stave church-inspired design with a triangular

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

in the middle, but when it was rebuilt it was given a wide gable shape, much like a temple front. In 1967–1970, the ground underneath the church was excavated to create a basement space where a new church hall and other utility rooms were constructed.

Media gallery

Orsta kyrkje.JPG Ørsta kirke - an10071205090006.jpg Ørsta kirke - an10071205090007.jpg Ørsta kirke - an10071205090004.jpg Ørsta kirke - an10071205090005.jpg Ørsta kirke.jpg

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orsta Church Ørsta Churches in Møre og Romsdal Long churches in Norway Wooden churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1864 12th-century establishments in Norway

History

Media gallery

See also

References