Sletta 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 ...

Frøya Municipality Frøya is the westernmost List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Fosen Districts of Norway, region and consists of the Frøya (island), island of Frøya, which lies nor ...

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 to the northeastern shore of the island of Frøya, about north of the municipal center of

Sistranda Sistranda is the administrative centre of Frøya Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village is located on the east side of the island of Frøya, about north of the village of Hammarvika and the entrance to the Frøya Tunnel. The v ...

. It is one of several churches for the Frøya

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

Orkdal prosti This list of churches in Nidaros is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Nidaros in Norway. It includes all of the parishes in Trøndelag county. The diocese is based at the Nidaros Cathedral in the city of Trondheim (city), T ...

(

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, concrete church was built in a modern,

circular Circular may refer to: * The shape of a circle * ''Circular'' (album), a 2006 album by Spanish singer Vega * Circular letter (disambiguation), a document addressed to many destinations ** Government circular, a written statement of government pol ...

design in 1990 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 ...

Odd Østbye Odd Kjeld Østbye (1925–2009) was a Norwegian architect, professor at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (1988-1993), and rector of the same school from 1990 to 1993. After graduating with his examen artium degree in 1944, Østb ...

. The church seats about 430 people.

History

Historically, the people of northern Frøya attended church at

Sula Chapel Sula Chapel () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Frøya Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located on the island of Sula, Trøndelag, Sula. It is one of several churches for the Frøya parish which is part of the Orkda ...

, on a small island to the northwest of the present church site. In 1755, the old

was closed and moved from the island of Sula to Sletta on the island of Frøya where it was rebuilt to be the main church for the parish. Upon completion of the new church,

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Frederik Nannestad

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 ...

the building on 4 September 1755. Eventually, that little wooden church became too small for the parish, so a new church was built just next to the old church in 1880. The new church was one of Norway's largest wooden churches, seating about 1,000 people. The last worship service in the old church was held on 26 September 1880, and then the new church was

on 30 September 1880 by Bishop Andreas Grimelund. For a time, the two churches stood side by side before the old one was taken down and sold. On 8 June 1984, the large wooden church building burned to the ground in a big fire. It was said that the whole building was gone in about one hour. After the fire, the old site was cleared and plans for a new church were made. Both the type of church building and location of the church were debated amongst the members of the parish. It was eventually decided to build the new church about to the east of the old church site and that it would be a more modern design rather than a traditional style Norwegian wooden church. Construction on the new building began in 1988, and it was completed in 1990. On 21 October 1990, the Bishop of Nidaros,

Kristen Kyrre Bremer Kristen Kyrre Bremer (12 July 1925 – 16 May 2013) was a Norwegian theologian and bishop in the Church of Norway. Education and career Bremer was born in Tana Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway in 1925. Bremer received his cand.theol. degr ...

, consecrated the new church. The new building has a modern-style sanctuary seating 430, and a beautiful small side chapel for meditation and quiet prayer. The new mechanical action pipe organ was constructed in 1990 - by organ builder Gunnar Fabricius Husted from Fredensborg, Denmark - in a large case of Philippine mahogany, with 20 speaking stops, with the following specification:
Main work: Principal 8; Gedackt 8; Octave 4; Recorder 4; Quintet 2 2/3; Octave 2; Mixture IV; Trumpet 8
Svellverk: Reed flute 8; Principal 4; Traverse flute 4; Fifth 2 2/3; French flute 2; Third 1 3/5; Oboe 8; Tremulant
Pedal: Subbas 16; Principal 8 (from Manual I); Gedackt 8; Koralbas 4; Fagot 16
Three small hitchdown pedals on the right side of the console (above the pedalboard) control the three couplers for II/I, I/Pedal and II/Pedal. There is a separate

church hall A church hall or parish hall is a room or building associated with a church, generally for community and charitable use. In smaller and village communities, it is often a separate building near the church, while on more restricted urban sites ...

with a kitchen, and there are a number of classrooms in the basement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sletta Church (Froya) Frøya, Trøndelag Churches in Trøndelag Fan-shaped churches in Norway Concrete churches in Norway 20th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1990 1755 establishments in Norway

History

See also

References