Bjordal Church
Bjordal Church (Norwegian: Bjordal kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Høyanger Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Bjordal. It is one of the two churches for the Bjordal og Ortnevik parish which is part of the Sunnfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1906 using designs by the architect Victor Nordan, the son of the famous Norwegian church architect Jacob Wilhelm Nordan. The church seats about 160 people.[1][2]
| Bjordal Church | |
|---|---|
| Bjordal kyrkje | |
 View of the church | |
  Bjordal Church Location of the church  Bjordal Church Bjordal Church (Norway) | |
| 61.0751°N 5.8289°E | |
| Location | Høyanger Municipality, Vestland |
| Country | Norway |
| Denomination | Church of Norway |
| Churchmanship | Evangelical Lutheran |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Bjordal Chapel |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | 1906 |
| Consecrated | 1 Nov 1906 |
| Events | Victor Nordan |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Long church |
| Completed | 1906 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 160 |
| Materials | Wood |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Bjordal og Ortnevik |
| Deanery | Sunnfjord prosti |
| Diocese | Bjørgvin |
The church is not large, but it has a picturesque location on a hilltop overlooking the fjord. The nave of the church measures 10.5 by 8 metres (34 ft × 26 ft) with a choir measuring 4 by 3.8 metres (13 ft × 12 ft).
History
The people living around the Fuglesetfjorden had long desired a church of their own. In 1856, the people of Bjordal had petitioned for a church to be built in their village, rather than making the 12-kilometre (7.5 mi) long journey to the Kyrkjebø Church. Again in 1896, the people of Bjordal petitioned the government for their own church. It took three years, but in 1899, the government decided that a chapel (not a church) would be built. Planning began and after several years passed the church was completed. The church was consecrated on 1 November 1906. It originally the status of a chapel (and was named Bjordal Chapel) until 1 January 1997 when it was upgraded to a church. At the same time the new parish of Bjordal og Ortnevik was created with Ortnevik Church and Bjordal Church being the parish churches. This meant that all the people in Høyanger on the south side of the Sognefjorden now had their own parish.[3]
See also
References
- "Bjordal kyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
- "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
- Henden Aaraas, Margrethe; Vengen, Sigurd; Gjerde, Anders. "Bjordal kyrkje" (in Norwegian). Fylkesarkivet. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
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