St. Thomas Church ( no, St. Tomaskyrkja) is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the 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 community activities, ...

of the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...

in Vang Municipality in

Innlandet Innlandet is a county in Norway. It was created on 1 January 2020 with the merger of the old counties of Oppland and Hedmark (the municipalities of Jevnaker and Lunner were transferred to the neighboring county of Viken on the same date). The ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It is located in the

Filefjell Filefjell is a mountainous area in Norway. It is located between Lærdal in the Vestland county and Valdres in Innlandet county. It is the historical, as well as modern, main route, linking Western Norway and Eastern Norway. The European route E16 ...

area of Vang. It is one of the churches for the Øye

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

which is part of the

Valdres prosti The list of churches in Hamar is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Hamar which includes all of Innlandet county (plus two municipalities in Viken (county), Viken county) in Norway. The list is divided into several sections ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman 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 residenc ...

) in the

Diocese of Hamar The Diocese of Hamar ( no, Hamar Bispedømme) is a diocese within the Church of Norway. The Diocese of Hamar includes all of the churches in Innlandet county plus the churches in Lunner in Viken county. Administratively, the diocese is divided ...

. The concrete and wood church was built in a rectangular design in 1971 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 ...

Claus Lindstrøm. The church seats about 120 people.

History

A church was built in the

area of Vang around the years 1180-1200. The church was a wooden stave church with about 100 seats. The church was named after

Thomas Becket Thomas Becket (), also known as Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and later Thomas à Becket (21 December 1119 or 1120 – 29 December 1170), was an English nobleman who served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then ...

who was killed in England in 1170. It is speculated that it may have been a parish church for people who engaged in iron mining in the area. According to tradition, the church was left desolate after the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, but it is also said that Thue Anchesen Bahr, who was parish priest in Vang from 1615–1620, persuaded the local people to restore the church. After that time, it was an annex church to the main Vang Church. The church attracted travelers and provided shelter to those who traveled over the mountain pass. People from all over the country came to be healed (avoid difficult births, illness, get forgiveness of sins, and so on). For this reason, there was a lot of unrest around the church and disturbances for the priests who held mass at the church. As early as 1747, the bishop had proposed that it be closed down. On 24 June 1808, the government approved the demolition of the old church, and this was carried out soon afterwards. In the early 20th century, an initiative was taken to build a new church about east of the old church site. The foundation stone was laid in 1922 for a stone church that had been designed by Olaf Due. Finances and disputes over building materials led to many postponements and changes to plans by various architects. It is said that the Nazis showed interest in church building, and that it deterred others from working for it. In the 1960s, new drawings were prepared by Claus Lindstrøm, and the foundation stone was laid in 1970. The church has a square floor plan and a pyramid-shaped roof. The church was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

on 2 July 1971.

Media gallery

Sankt Thomaskirken på Filefjell, Viken fylke.jpg Sankt Thomaskirken på Filefjell, Viken fylke (3).jpg Sankt Thomaskirken på Filefjell, Viken fylke (2).jpg Thomaskirken 10.jpg

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Thomas Church, Filefjell Vang, Oppland Churches in Innlandet Rectangular churches in Norway Concrete churches in Norway 20th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1971 12th-century establishments in Norway

History

Media gallery

See also

References