Old Ã…rdal Church
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Old Ã…rdal Church () is a historic
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
Hjelmeland Municipality is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Rogaland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Ryfylke. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hj ...
in
Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. As of 1 January 2024, it had a population of 49 ...
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
Ã…rdal Ã…rdal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located at the end of the Ã…rdalsfjorden in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Sogn. The village of Ã…rdalstangen is ...
. It used to be the church for the Ã…rdal
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 ...
(but now it is rarely used) which is part of the
Ryfylke prosti This list of churches in Rogaland is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Stavanger in Norway. It includes all of the parishes in Rogaland county. The diocese is based at the Stavanger Cathedral in the city of Stavanger (city) ...
(
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 Stavanger The Diocese of Stavanger () is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers all of Rogaland county in western Norway. The cathedral city is Stavanger, where the Stavanger Cathedral is located. The bishop is Anne Lise Ådnøy, who has held the p ...
. The red, 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 ...
design in 1620 using designs 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 ...
. The church seats about 175 people.


History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1308, but the
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 ...
was likely built during the 13th century. The church was torn down in 1619 and a new church was built on the same site. 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 in 1620. The new building was constructed using some of the reused materials from the previous church on the same general site. Part of the foundation under the southwest corner of the church was the same foundation for the medieval stave church. The church served this area from its completion date in 1620 until 1919 when the new Ã…rdal Church was completed about to the southwest. Since that time, the old church has no longer been used regularly, but it has been used for special occasions such as weddings and concerts. There are still two regularly scheduled worship services held at the church each year, one service on
Olsok Olsok () is a national day of celebration on July 29 in the Nordic countries of Norway and the Faroe Islands, and also in the provinces of Härjedalen in Sweden and Savonlinna in Finland. Background King Olaf II Haraldsson of Norway is remember ...
and one other Sunday morning in the summer. The interior of the church is decorated with hand-painted
rosemåling Rose-painting, , or is a Scandinavian decorative Folk art, folk painting that flourished from the 1700s to the mid-1800s, particularly in Norway. In Sweden, rose-painting began to be called , c. 1901, for the region Dalecarlia where it had been ...
.


Media gallery

Ã…rdal gamle kirke1.jpg, Exterior view Ardal innenraum.jpg, Interior view Ardal Taufbecken.jpg, Baptismal font Ardal Tuerschloss.jpg, Door lock


See also

*
List of churches in Rogaland This list of churches in Rogaland is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Stavanger in Norway. It includes all of the parishes in Rogaland county. The diocese is based at the Stavanger Cathedral in the city of Stavanger (city) ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Aardal Church Hjelmeland Churches in Rogaland Wooden churches in Norway 17th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1620 13th-century establishments in Norway