Sandnes Church (Agder)

Sandnes Church (Norwegian: Sandnes kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Bygland Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of Åraksbø on the east side of the Åraksfjorden. 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 octagonal design in 1844 by Anders Thorsen Syrtveit who used plans drawn up by the famous architect Hans Linstow. The church seats about 200 people.[1][2]

Sandnes Church
Sandnes kyrkje
View of the church
58.917687°N 07.73818°E
Location	Bygland Municipality, Agder
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	14th century
Consecrated	1844
Events	1935: building was moved
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Hans Linstow
Architectural type	Octagonal
Completed	1844
Specifications
Capacity	200
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Bygland og Årdal
Deanery	Otredal prosti
Diocese	Agder og Telemark
Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site
Type	Church
Status	Listed
ID	85389

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1437, but the church was not new at that time. The church was originally built (probably in the 14th century) on the shore of the Byglandsfjorden in the village of Sandnes. The first church on the site was likely a stave church. That building was torn down in the early 1680s and replaced with a new building on the same site. Not much is known about this building. In 1844, the old church was torn down and a new octagonal building was constructed on the same site. That same year, the cemetery was enlarged and a wall built around the cemetery.[3]

In 1935, the church was disassembled at its historic site in Sandnes and moved to the more populous village of Åraksbø, about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the north, were it was reconstructed. The materials were hauled on the frozen Byglandsfjorden from the old site to the new site. The move had been contemplated for over 40 years since Åraksbø is where almost all the residents of the parish lived. This was a practical move, but it was also controversial. When the newly reconstructed church was re-consecrated in October 1935 by the Bishop, no one from Frøysnes and Sandnes (where the old church stood) came to the service as a way of protesting the move. As a way of smoothing things over, a small chapel was built on the site in Sandnes where the church once stood. The chapel was completed in 1940. There is no cemetery at the new church site, but the cemetery at the old site is still in use.[3][4]

Media gallery

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See also

• List of churches in Agder og Telemark

References

1. "Sandnes kirke, Åraksbø i Bygland". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
3. "Sandnes gamle kyrkjestad (Sandnes kapell)" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
4. "Sandnes kyrkje (Bygland)" (in Norwegian). SetesdalsWiki.no. Retrieved 17 April 2017.