Solvorn Church

Solvorn Church (Norwegian: Solvorn kyrkje) is a parish church in Luster Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Solvorn. It is the church for the Solvorn 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 1883 using designs by the architect Waldemar Hansteen. The church seats about 300 people.[1][2]

Solvorn Church
Solvorn kyrkje
View of the church
Solvorn Church Location of the church Solvorn Church Solvorn Church (Norway)
61.3005°N 7.2375°E
Location	Luster Municipality, Vestland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	14th century
Consecrated	June 1883
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Waldemar Hansteen
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	1883
Specifications
Capacity	300
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Solvorn
Deanery	Sogn prosti
Diocese	Bjørgvin
Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site
Type	Church
Status	Listed
ID	85525

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1340, but the church was not new at that time. The first church was likely a stave church built in the early 1300s (or earlier). Not much is known about the old church. The old church was torn down around the year 1600 and it was replaced by a new timber-framed church on the same site. This new church had a nave measuring 10 by 8 metres (33 ft × 26 ft) with a 6-by-6-metre (20 ft × 20 ft) choir on one end.

By the late-1870s, the church was too small for the parish and the nearby Urnes Stave Church parish was scheduled to be closed and merged with Solvorn Church, so it was decided to tear down the old Solvorn Church and to build a new, larger one. The new church was located on the other side of the church graveyard from where the older churches were located. The new church was completed and consecrated in 1883. The new church has a notable tower with sloping sides.[3][4]

Media gallery

• 
  Present church
• 
  Drawing of the old church (1600-1883)

See also

• List of churches in Bjørgvin

References

1. "Solvorn kyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
3. "Solvorn kyrkjestad" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
4. Henden Aaraas, Margrethe; Vengen, Sigurd; Gjerde, Anders. "Solvorn kyrkje" (in Norwegian). Fylkesarkivet. Retrieved 2020-01-19.