Øystese 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 ...

Kvam Municipality Kvam is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located along the Hardangerfjorden in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Norheimsund. Other larger set ...

Vestland Vestland is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The county is located in Western Norway, and its administrative centre is Bergen, where the executive and political leadership is based. The County governor (Norway), County Governor is based in ...

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 Øystese. It is the church for the Øystese

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 Hardanger og Voss 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 Bjørgvin. The white, wooden church was built in a long church design in 1868 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 ...

C. Erichsen in consultation with Jacob Wilhelm Nordan. The church seats about 500 people.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1300, and it was relatively new at that time. The first church here was a wooden stave church with an open corridor encircling the building. This church was probably built in the late 13th century. It was located about to the northwest of the present site of the church. The church

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 ...

measured about and the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

measured about . There was also a church porch with a bell tower above it. Over the years, the church had a number of renovations. Most of the corridors around the church had been removed by 1845. In 1845, the church underwent significant repairs, including removing the last portion of the remaining corridors that once encircled the church. Even after the repairs of the church, the centuries-old building was still in poor condition. The parish received permission to build a new church. It was decided to build the new church closer to the shoreline of the fjord, about to the southeast of the old church site. The

C. Erichsen designed the church and the national church architect Jacob Wilhelm Nordan made some changes to the plan before construction. Askjel Aase was hired as the lead builder. In 1868, the new church was built on the new site. 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 15 May 1868. After the new church was completed, the old church was torn down. During the demolition, the workers found a coin and other items dating to the early 1300s beneath the foundation, which help to date the construction of the church.

Media gallery

Church in Oystese, Norway 1.jpg Oeystese kyrkje Lindahl.jpeg Øystese gamle kirke fra LH.jpg, Model of the old church before 1868

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oystese Church Kvam Churches in Vestland Long churches in Norway Wooden churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1868 Buildings and structures demolished in 1868 13th-century establishments in Norway

History

Media gallery

See also

References