Austevoll Church

Austevoll Church (Norwegian: Austevoll kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Austevoll Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Storebø. It is one of the five churches for the Austevoll parish which is part of the Fana prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1890 using designs by the architect Hans Heinrich Jess (1847-1916). The church seats about 400 people.[1][2][3]

Austevoll Church
Austevoll kirke
View of the church
Austevoll Church
Location of the church
Austevoll Church
Austevoll Church (Norway)
60.0937°N 5.2225°E / 60.0937; 5.2225
LocationAustevoll Municipality,
Vestland
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
FoundedMiddle Ages
Consecrated22 Jan 1891
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Hans Heinrich Jess
Architectural typeLong church
Completed1890
Specifications
Capacity400
MaterialsWood
Administration
ParishAustevoll
DeaneryFana prosti
DioceseBjørgvin bispedømme
TypeChurch
StatusNot listed
ID222488

History

The first Austevoll Church was a stave church built during the middle ages on the small island of Sandtorv. Historical records do not refer to the church in the 1300s, but it may have been in existence then. In the 1650s, the Sandtorv church was old and so it was torn down and moved to Austevollshella on the island of Hundvåko.[4] According to a local legend, the new church was to be built on the old site, but a storm carried the material over to the site on Austevollshella. Taken as a sign from God, the new church was built there.[5] The church at Austevollshella was in use for over 200 years, giving name to the parish of Austevoll, which in turn gave name to the municipality in 1886.

The church building was owned by the Church of Norway until 1724 when it was sold to Bent Uldrich for 70 rigsdaler. The church was purchased by the people of the parish around the year 1860. In 1891, the church was torn down and the present church was rebuilt on the nearby island of Huftarøy in the village of Storebø. This new church was consecrated on 22 January 1891 by the Bishop Waldemar Hvoslef.[6][7]

The present Hundvåkøy Chapel now sits on the site at Austevollshella where the old Austevoll Church was located from the 1650s until 1891. Some items from the medieval Sandtorv church, including the shrine, are still in existence to this day and they are currently in custody of the Bergen Museum.

See also

References
  1. "Austevoll kirke". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  3. "Hans Heinrich Jess". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  4. "Austevoll gamle kyrkjestad" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  5. "Austevoll Kyrkje" (in Norwegian). Norges Kirker. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  6. "Kirker i Hordaland fylke" (in Norwegian). DIS-Hordaland. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  7. "Austevoll kirkested" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 17 May 2020.

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