Birkeland Church

Birkeland Church (Norwegian: Birkeland kirke or Nesttun kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Bergen Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the Nesttun neighborhood of Fana in the city of Bergen. It is the church for the Birkeland parish which is part of the Fana prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, stone church was built in a long church style in 1878 using designs by the architect Giovanni Jacob Harbitz Müller. The church seats about 300 people.[1][2] The church has a unique tower with an octagonal copper-clad steeple.

Birkeland Church
Birkeland kirke / Nesttun kirke
View of the church
Birkeland Church
Location of the church
Birkeland Church
Birkeland Church (Norway)
60.3156°N 5.3564°E / 60.3156; 5.3564
LocationBergen Municipality,
Vestland
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
Founded13th century
Consecrated21 Nov 1878
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Giovanni Müller
Architectural typeLong church
Completed1878
Specifications
Capacity300
MaterialsStone
Administration
ParishBirkeland
DeaneryFana prosti
DioceseBjørgvin bispedømme
TypeChurch
StatusListed by municipality
ID83888

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1329, but it was built before that time, likely during the 1200s. It was probably a stave church that stood about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) southeast of the present church. There is a plaque where the previous church once stood. The church was demolished in the early 1600s and replaced by a wooden church.[3]

The wooden church was sold to private owners Arne Olsen Øvre Totland and Lars Olsen Øvre Birkeland in 1724. In 1839, the church was bought back by the parish.[4] Due to maintenance issues and population growth, that church was torn down in 1877 and replaced in 1878 with a larger stone church located about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) away in Nesttun. The new (present) church was consecrated on 21 November 1878.[5]

  • Church neighborhood
  • Altar
  • Church in 1836-1837
  • Site of the old medieval church

See also

References
  1. "Birkeland kirke, Nesttun". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  3. "Birkeland gamle kirkested - Kirkebirkeland" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  4. "Kirker i Hordaland fylke" (in Norwegian). DIS-Hordaland. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  5. "Birkeland kirkested / Birkeland kirke 3" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 17 May 2020.

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