Arnafjord Church

Arnafjord Church (Norwegian: Arnafjord kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Vik Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Nese, along the Arnafjorden. It is the church for the Arnafjord parish which is part of the Sogn prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1880. The master builder John Gjertsen from Sogndal made the designs, while builder Anders Korsvold was responsible for the construction. The church seats about 180 people.[1][2]

Arnafjord Church
Arnafjord kyrkje
View of the church
Arnafjord Church Location of the church Arnafjord Church Arnafjord Church (Norway)
61.0223°N 6.3846°E
Location	Vik Municipality, Vestland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Former name(s)	Flete Church
Status	Parish church
Founded	12th century
Consecrated	21 October 1880
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Johannes Gjertsen
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	1880
Specifications
Capacity	180
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Arnafjord
Deanery	Sogn prosti
Diocese	Bjørgvin

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1340, but it was likely built in the 1100s. The first building was a stave church and it was located in Flete, about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) across the Arnafjorden to the southeast of the present site. In 1645, a new church located at the present site in Nese was constructed and after it was completed, the old stave church was torn down and the materials from the old church were used by the local farmers.[3][4]

By the late 19th century, the church was in poor condition and it was also too small for the congregation. There was much correspondence between the parish and the owner of the church. Eventually, the owner sold the church building to the parish. The parish then decided to tear down the old building and to construct a new church just a few meters to the southeast of the old building. The new church was consecrated on 21 October 1880. The new building had a 11.9-by-8.9-metre (39 ft × 29 ft) nave and a 5-by-5.25-metre (16.4 ft × 17.2 ft) chancel. In 1963, the church had electric heat installed as part of a large renovation. In 1968, a sacristy was built that included a bathroom.[5]

Media gallery

• 
  View of the church in 1978
• 
  12th century door lock in the present church
• 
  Glass painting from the church, now in the Bergen Museum

See also

• List of churches in Bjørgvin

References

1. "Arnafjord kyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
3. "Flete kirkested / Arnafjord stavkyrkje" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
4. "Arnafjord kyrkjestad / Arnafjord kyrkje 2" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
5. Henden Aaraas, Margrethe; Vengen, Sigurd; Gjerde, Anders. "Arnafjord kyrkje" (in Norwegian). Fylkesarkivet. Retrieved 2019-12-07.