Kvam Church (Nord-Fron)
Kvam Church (Norwegian: Kvam kirke) is a cruciform church in the village of Kvam in the municipality of Nord-Fron in Innlandet county, Norway.[1][2] It was built in 1952. The building was designed by Magnus Poulsson and it is decorated with carvings by Edvard Bakkom, Mathias Fjerdingren, and Anders Johnsgard,[2] and painting by Arve Hagen.[3] The carving on the altar—originally executed by Eistein Kjørn and later moved to Kvam—was restored by Ragnvald Einbu.[4]
| Kvam Church | |
|---|---|
Kvam kirke | |
.JPG.webp) | |
  Kvam Church Location in Innlandet  Kvam Church Kvam Church (Norway) | |
| Location | Kvam |
| Country | Norway |
| Denomination | Church of Norway |
| Churchmanship | Evangelical Lutheran |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | Magnus Poulsson |
| Completed | 1952 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 450[1] |
| Materials | Wood |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Nord-Gudbrandsdal |
The church is built of wood and can accommodate 450 people.[1] The church has a cemetery[5] with a memorial to British soldiers that were killed in an engagement at the site in 1940.[2]
The old church
The current church stands at the site of an older church, built in 1776.[6] That church was also a timber-framed cruciform structure and it could accommodate 300 people.[4] The church was destroyed on April 26, 1940 during fighting between German and British forces.[6] The church and one hundred houses were damaged by fire. All that remains of the old church is a small church bell, the spire, and a door. The new church started being built in 1945[6] and it was completed 12 years later.
Before the old church was built, the people of Kvam used to attend Kvam Stave Church at the Vik farm. In 1775 the king granted permission to build a new church in Røssum Field (Røssumvollen) below the Røssum farm.[4][7]
References
- "Kvam kirke, Nord-Fron". Kirkesøk. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- "Kvam kirke (Nord-Fron)". Norsk kirkebygg. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- Johannesen, Ole Rønning (July 3, 2013). "Arve Hagen". Norsk kunstnerleksikon. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- "Kvam kirke". Norske kirker. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
- "Kvam gamle kirkegård (Nord-Fron)". Norsk kirkebygg. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- Ole Arnfinn Torgersrud (1952). "Den gamle og den nye kyrkja i Kvam". In Høgåsen, Martinus (ed.). Årbok for Gudbrandsdalen 1952. Otta: Dølaringen.
- Ringdal, Nils N. (1949). Ei bygd opplever krigen: Kvam i Gudbrandsdalen. Otta: Dølaringen. p. 52.