Ålesund Church

Ålesund Church (Norwegian: Ålesund kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the center of the town of Ålesund, on the island of Aspøya. It is one of two churches for the Ålesund parish which is part of the Nordre Sunnmøre prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Møre. The large, stone church was built in a long church design and in the Art Nouveau style in 1909 by the architect Sverre Knudsen. The church seats about 800 people.[1][2]

Ålesund Church
Ålesund kyrkje
View of the church
Ålesund Church
Location of the church
Ålesund Church
Ålesund Church (Norway)
62.4712°N 6.1459°E / 62.4712; 6.1459
LocationÅlesund Municipality,
Møre og Romsdal
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
Founded1855
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Sverre Knudsen
Architectural typeLong church
StyleArt Nouveau
Completed1909
Specifications
Capacity800
MaterialsStone/marble
Administration
ParishÅlesund
DeaneryNordre Sunnmøre prosti
DioceseMøre

History

The first church in Ålesund was constructed in 1855, shortly after it was designated as a kjøpstad in 1848. The new stone church was designed by the architect Heinrich Ernst Schirmer. The church's design was very similar to the Strøm Church in Sør-Odal municipality in Hedmark county. On 23 January 1904, the church was destroyed by the great Ålesund fire. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed and nearly the entire town had to be rebuilt. After a competition of architects, Sverre Knudsen was chosen as the person to design the new Ålesund Church.

The foundation stone for the new church was laid down on 13 July 1906 by the new King Haakon VII. Roughly 2,000 square metres (22,000 sq ft) of marble cover the church's façade. The church took about three years to be completed and it was consecrated on 15 September 1909.[3]

  • King Haakon VII laying the foundation stone
  • Cemetery

See also

References
  1. "Ålesund kirke". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
  3. "Kyrkjene" (in Norwegian). Ålesund kyrkjelege fellesråd. Retrieved 2019-08-12.
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