Leikanger 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 ...

in Herøy Municipality in

Møre og Romsdal Møre og Romsdal (; ) is a Counties of Norway, county in the northernmost part of Western Norway, Western Norway. It borders the counties of Trøndelag, Innlandet, and Vestland. The county administration is located in the Molde (town), town of M ...

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 Leikong on the eastern coast of the island of

Gurskøya Gurskøya is an island in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Settlements The island is shared by Sande Municipality and Herøy Municipality. The villages of Haugsbygda, Gjerdsvika, Larsnes, Leikong and Moldtustranda are located on the is ...

. It is the church for the Leikanger

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 an

octagonal In geometry, an octagon () is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, which alternates two types of edges. A truncated octagon, t is a hex ...

style in 1806 by an unknown

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 ...

and it was disassembled and moved to this site in 1872. The church seats about 380 people.

History

royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...

that was issued in 1872, gave permission to establish a church in Leikong. Rather than building a new church, the parish found that a nearby parish was selling the old

Ørskog Church Ørskog Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the village of Sjøholt. It is the church for the Ørskog parish which is part of the Nordre Sunnmøre pro ...

because it was too small for their parish. The old church was originally built in 1806 in

Sjøholt Sjøholt is a village in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the northern shore of the Storfjorden, about east of the village of Skodje. The village of Stordal (in Fjord Municipality) is locat ...

by the builder Elling Olsson Walbøe. So, in 1872, it was purchased and then disassembled and shipped to Leikong where it was rebuilt. The newly rebuilt church was named ''Leikanger Church'' and it 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 26 January 1873. The church was rebuilt just like before except that the tower which was originally above the

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 ...

, was rebuilt above the

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 ...

. In 1960, the church was restored and refurbished. During this renovation, the tower was moved back from the porch to the central part of the roof over the nave.

Pictures

Leikanger kirke2.jpg, Exterior in winter Altar Leikong.JPG, Altar Altartavle Lekong.JPG, Altar Preikestol Leikong.JPG, Pulpit decorated with the seven virtues. Preikestol_Leikong2.JPG, Pulpit details

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leikanger Church (Heroy) Herøy, Møre og Romsdal Churches in Møre og Romsdal Wooden churches in Norway Octagonal churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1806 1872 establishments in Norway

History

Pictures

See also

References