Old Åsane Church () is a former

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 ...

Bergen Municipality Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

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 Saurås neighborhood in the borough of

Åsane Åsane is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough makes up the northern part of the city, north of the city centre. Åsane is connected to downtown Bergen by the E16/ E39 highway. The E16 highway continues on ...

in the city of

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

. It used to be the church for the Åsane

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 Åsane 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 Diocese of Bjørgvin () is one of the 11 dioceses that make up the Church of Norway. It includes all of the churches located in the county of Vestland in Western Norway, and those outside of Norway in the Seamen's Church. The cathedral cit ...

. The white, stone 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 1795 using plans drawn up 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 240 people. The 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 1795 by the Bishop Johan Nordahl Brun. The church is no longer regularly used since the "new" Åsane Church was built in 1993. This church is now mostly used for funerals and weddings as well as special events.

Name

The church was historically called (Åsane Church), but in the 20th century, it used the modern Norwegian spelling of . Since the new Åsane Church was completed, the church has been known as the . The word means "old".

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1598, but the chapel was not new that year. The first chapel in Åsane was wooden stave church that was likely built during the 13th century. The church was an annex chapel under the nearby

Hamre Church Hamre Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Osterøy Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Hamre, Osterøy, Hamre. It is the church for the Hamre parish which is part of the Åsane prosti (deane ...

for many centuries and it was used by people living on the

peninsula. In 1695, the chapel was repaired and renovated by building a new timber-framed

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 ...

and a new roof. The old wooden chapel stood there for about 500 years, before it was torn down and replaced with a new stone church in 1795. The walls were stone covered in plaster, and the gables and tower were wooden. Local tradition says that the new stone church was erected around the outside of the old wooden building so that it could be used during the construction. The new church had a rectangular

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 ...

measuring about and a narrower, rectangular

measuring about . The stone walls of the church measure about thick. The new church was

d in 1795 by the Bishop Johan Nordahl Brun. In 1842, the tower was repaired and rebuilt, slightly taller. In 1866, the roof was repaired and covered with slate tiles. In 1867–1868, the church had a major restoration. It received a new floor, new chairs, and a new second floor seating gallery on the west end. In 1871, the chapel was designated as a church and it became a separate parish. In 1891–1893, the church was remodeled and enlarged. The

was extended by about to the west and a new

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 ...

was built on the west end of the nave. In 1935, the church was restored by Ole Landmark and had a large stone

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

built perpendicular to the

's north wall. Starting in the 1960s, discussions began about replacing the old church with a new, larger, more functional church for the quickly growing urban area of Åsane, but nothing was done at that point. On

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...

1992, the church was set on fire by Jørn Tunsberg and

Varg Vikernes Louis Cachet (born Kristian Vikernes; 11 February 1973), better known as Varg Vikernes (), is a Norwegian musician and author best known for his early black metal albums and later for his crimes. His first five records, released under the name Bu ...

and it sustained heavy damage. The roof and tower burned, but the thick stone walls and foundation remained. At this point, the parish determined a new church should be built, but that the historic church should be rebuilt as well. A new, larger Åsane Church was built about to the south in 1993. After that, the old church was completely rebuilt using same foundation and stone walls. Old photographs and pictures of the church were used to make sure the replacement would be the same as before. The church building was replaced, but many historic artifacts and artwork were lost in the fire. The rebuilt church was re-

d on 19 November 1995 by the Bishop Ole Danbolt Hagesæther and at this point, the church was renamed as the "Old Åsane Church". Since being rebuilt, the church has been used for special occasions like weddings, funerals, and special services, but it is not regularly used.

Media gallery

Åsane gamle kirke - langside mot nord.jpg Åsane gamle kirke - med gravplass.jpg Åsane gamle kirke.jpg Åsane gamle kirke 2.jpg Åsane gamle kirke 3.jpg Åsane kirke - koret.JPG Minnestein.jpg Fridomsstriden.JPG

References

External links

Photo of the interior from 1935
{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Aasane Church Churches in Bergen Long churches in Norway Stone churches in Norway 18th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1795 13th-century establishments in Norway Churches destroyed by arson Buildings and structures in Norway destroyed by arson

Name

History

Media gallery

See also

References

External links