Borgund Church

Borgund Church (Norwegian: Borgund kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the village of Borgund, just east of the city of Ålesund. It is the church for the Borgund parish which is part of the Nordre Sunnmøre prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Møre. The historic, white, stone church was built in a cruciform style around the year 1300 by an unknown architect. The church reflects both Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles. The church seats about 750 people.[1][2]

This article is about the church in Ålesund, Norway. For other uses, see Borgund Church (Lærdal) and Borgund Stave Church.

Borgund Church
Borgund kyrkje
View of the church
Borgund Church
Location of the church
Borgund Church
Borgund Church (Norway)
62.4663°N 6.2341°E / 62.4663; 6.2341
LocationÅlesund Municipality,
Møre og Romsdal
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
Previous denominationCatholic Church
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
Founded12th century
Events1904: fire
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeCruciform
StyleRomanesque and Gothic
Completed12th century
Specifications
Capacity750
MaterialsStone
Administration
ParishBorgund
DeaneryNordre Sunnmøre prosti
DioceseMøre

History

The earliest existing historical records of a church in Borgund date back to the 12th century. In fact, at one point, there may have been as many as four stone churches in Borgund. Records talk about the Margaretakyrkja (St. Margaret's Church), Kristkyrkja (Christ Church), Matteuskyrkja (St. Matthew's Church), and Peterskyrkja (St. Peter's Church). It is believed that the St. Peter's Church was located on the site of the present-day Borgund Church, in fact some of the stone walls are believed to the original walls.[3]

During the centuries, the church was renovated. Records show that in 1632 and again in 1864 the church was expanded and turned into a cruciform design. The altarpiece and pulpit were decorated in the baroque style during the 1600s as well.[3]

The church was the seat of the large Borgund prestegjeld and later the main church for the large Borgund Municipality.

The church had a major fire and the building was almost completely destroyed on 13 April 1904 by an arsonist only described as "mentally disturbed" by the local police. The loss was tragic, but a new church was rapidly built within the remaining medieval walls using plans by the architects Christian Siegwart and Hans Siegwart.[3] The church was consecrated on 7 August 1907. The pulpit and altar were carved from oak by local craftsmen. Additional wooden features were later added by artist Oddvin Parr.[4] The church organ dates from 1981 to was built by Marcussen & Søn of Aabenraa, Denmark.[5]

  • Drawing of the church site (original building in black with additions shown)
  • Floorplan of the church (dark walls are original with additions shown)
  • Exterior at night
  • Exterior in daylight
  • Ruins after the 1904 fire
  • Ruins after the 1904 fire
  • Ruins of the nearby St. Margaret's Church in Borgund

See also

References
  1. "Borgund kyrkje, Ålesund". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  3. "Borgund - Kyrkjestad I 1000 År" (in Norwegian). Ålesund kirkelige fellesråd. Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  4. "Oddvin Parr". Kunsthistorie. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  5. "Marcussen & Søn Historien". Marcussen & Søn. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
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