Flå 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 ...

Melhus Municipality Melhus is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Melhus (village), village o ...

Trøndelag Trøndelag (; or is a county and coextensive with the Trøndelag region (also known as ''Midt-Norge'' or ''Midt-Noreg,'' "Mid-Norway") in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County (); in 1804 the county was ...

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 Ler, just off the

European route E06 European route E6 (, , or simply E6) is the main north–south thoroughfare through Norway as well as the west coast of Sweden. It is long and runs from the southern tip of Sweden at Trelleborg, into Norway and through almost all of the countr ...

highway. It is the church for the Flå

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 Gauldal 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 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 white, wooden church was built in a

long church Church building in Norway began when Christianity in Norway, Christianity was established there around the year 1000. The first buildings may have been post churches erected in the 10th or 11th century, but the evidence is inconclusive. For inst ...

style in 1794 using plans drawn up by the builder Lars Kristoffersen Kirkflå. The church seats about 150 people.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1432, but the church was not new that year. The first church in Flå 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 ...

that was located at ''Kjørkflaa'', about northeast of the present church site in Ler. The church was likely built in the 14th century. The church was likely damaged in a large flood in 1345 that was caused when a landslide blocked a river which rose quickly and flooded a lot of land including the church. Around 1665-1670, the old church was torn down and replaced with a new church on the same site. The new church was a wooden

with a spire on the roof. In 1713, it was noted in an inspection report that "the church is in a dangerous place, so it is very necessary to have it moved." In 1793, permission was granted by royal decree to build a new church since the church was fairly dilapidated. It was also decided to move the church site about to the southwest, into the village of Ler, which was a more suitable location for the parish. In 1794, a new church was completed in Ler and afterwards, the old church was torn down. The new church was built by the master builder Lars Kristoffersen Kirkflå. The new church was

consecrate 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 ( ...

d on 30 November 1794.

Media gallery

Flå kirke i Melhus 001.JPG Flå kirke i Melhus 003.JPG Flå kirkested.jpg Flå kyrkje i Mehlus 2.JPG Flå kyrkje i Melhus 1.JPG Flå kyrkje i Melhus.JPG

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flaa Church Melhus Churches in Trøndelag Long churches in Norway Wooden churches in Norway 18th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1794 14th-century establishments in Norway

History

Media gallery

See also

References