Førde Church

Førde Church (Norwegian: Førde kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the town of Førde. It is the church for the Førde 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 1885 using designs by the architect Jacob Wilhelm Nordan. The church seats about 475 people.[1][2]

This article is about the church in the town of Førde, Norway. For the church in Sveio, Norway, see Førde Church (Vestland).
Førde Church
Førde kyrkje
View of the church
Førde Church
Location of the church
Førde Church
Førde Church (Norway)
61.4558°N 5.8626°E / 61.4558; 5.8626
LocationSunnfjord Municipality,
Vestland
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
Founded13th century
Consecrated1 Oct 1885
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Jacob Wilhelm Nordan
Architectural typeLong church
Completed1885
Specifications
Capacity475
MaterialsWood
Administration
ParishFørde
DeanerySunnfjord prosti
DioceseBjørgvin

Building

Førde Church sits on a small hill overlooking the river Jølstra, about 150 metres (490 ft) to the west. In the spring of 1780 during an ice storm, the river broke through its shores and changed its course, so since then, the river has flowed almost 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) to the west instead. The church is 38.7 metres (127 ft) long, the nave measuring 24.4 metres (80 ft), and 15.5 metres (51 ft) wide. To the east, there is a pentagonal chancel with vestries on each side. The porch to the west is a quadrangle that is 5.5 by 5.5 metres (18 by 18 ft), and it has a base for a 30-metre (98 ft) high steeple. The church has a large gallery, where an organ was installed when the church was new.[3]

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1327, but the church was not new at that time. That church was likely a stave church and it stood until around 1620-1625 when a new church was built adjacent to it. When the new timber-framed church was completed, the old church was torn down. In 1838, the church was once again torn down and replaced by a small timber-framed long church. This church, however, was not long lasting. It too was torn down in 1885 when the present church was built on the same site.[4] The new church was consecrated on 1 October 1885 by the Bishop Fredrik Waldemar Hvoslef.

See also

References
  1. "Førde kyrkje, Førde". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
  2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
  3. "Førde kyrkje". Sogn og Fjordane Fylkesarkiv. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  4. "Førde kyrkjestad" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
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