Naustdal Church (Norwegian: Naustdal kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Naustdal. It is one of two churches for the Naustdal 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 1891 by the architect Adolf Schirmer. The church seats about 650 people, making it the largest church in the whole Sunnfjord region, giving it the nickname "Sunnfjord Cathedral".[1][2]

Naustdal Church
Naustdal kyrkje
View of the church
Map
61°30′32″N 5°43′00″E / 61.50888481232°N 5.716720819473°E / 61.50888481232; 5.716720819473
LocationSunnfjord Municipality,
Vestland
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
Previous denominationCatholic Church
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
Foundedc. 1150
Consecrated9 September 1891
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Adolf Schirmer
Architectural typeLong church
Completed1891 (133 years ago) (1891)
Specifications
Capacity650
MaterialsWood
Administration
DioceseBjørgvin bispedømme
DeanerySunnfjord prosti
ParishNaustdal
TypeChurch
StatusListed
ID85096

History

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The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1308, but the church was not new that year. The first church in Naustdal was a stone church that was likely built around the year 1150. The church had a rectangular nave that measured about 22.5 by 12.5 metres (74 ft × 41 ft) and a narrower, square, 7.5-by-7.5-metre (25 ft × 25 ft) chancel with a lower roof line. In the late Middle Ages, the choir was rebuilt so that it had the same width as the nave.[3][4][5]

The old church was small and old and by the late 1800s, discussions were had on what to do with the centuries-old church. Some wanted to renovate it, others wanted a new, more modern church. In 1890, the old church was torn down and replaced on the same site with the present church. The arch from the choir of the old church was saved and is now used as an entrance gate to the church cemetery. Stone from the previous church was used to build the foundation of the present building as well. The new church was designed by Adolf Schirmer and the lead builders were Mons N. Skare and Jørgen L. Torsheim. The new church was consecrated on 9 September 1891 by the Bishop Fredrik W. Hvoslef.[3][4][5]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Naustdal kyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  2. ^ "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Naustdal kirkested" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Naustdal kirke". Norges-Kirker.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b Henden Aaraas, Margrethe; Vengen, Sigurd; Gjerde, Anders. "Naustdal kyrkje" (in Norwegian). Fylkesarkivet. Retrieved 11 September 2021.