Austad Church (Bygland)

Austad Church (Norwegian: Austad kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Bygland Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of Tveit on the south shore of the river Otra, just off the Norwegian National Road 9. It is one of the churches for the Bygland og Årdal parish which is part of the Otredal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The white, wooden church was built in a long church design in 1880 using plans drawn up by the architect Oskar Fabricius who was from Kristiania. The church seats about 250 people.[1][2]

Austad Church
Austad kyrkje
View of the church
58.98078°N 07.60794°E
Location	Bygland Municipality, Agder
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	c. 1200
Consecrated	7 July 1880
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Oskar Fabricius
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	1880
Specifications
Capacity	250
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Bygland og Årdal
Deanery	Otredal prosti
Diocese	Agder og Telemark
Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site
Type	Church
Status	Not protected
ID	83821

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1328, but it was likely built around the year 1200. The original building was a stave church and it was located at Austad, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the southeast of the present church site (and on the other side of the river). After the Black Death, the church was without its own priest for many years (around 1350-1400). After that, it was an annex to the Bygland Church. In 1668, the old stave church was torn down and a small log church was built in its place on the same site.[3]

In 1872, the old church was in very poor condition, so the parish began to look into its options. In 1878, the parish received permission to tear down and replace the old building. In 1880, a new church was built at Tveit, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the northwest and on the other side of the river from the old church site and when the new church was completed, the old church was torn down and the old materials were sold. The new church was consecrated on 7 July 1880 by the Bishop Jørgen Moe.[4][5]

Media gallery

• 
  View of the church circa 1885.
• 
  View of the church from a distance.
• 
  Carved designs from the old Austad stave church.

See also

• List of churches in Agder og Telemark

References

1. "Austad kyrkje, Tveit". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
3. "Austad gamle kirkested" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
4. "Austad kyrkje" (in Norwegian). SetesdalsWiki.no. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
5. "Austad kyrkjestad / Austad kyrkje 3" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2 January 2021.