Sveio Church

Sveio Church (Norwegian: Sveio kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Sveio Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Sveio. It is the church for the Sveio parish which is part of the Sunnhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1858 using designs by the architect Andreas Grønning. The church seats about 630 people.[1][2]

Sveio Church
Sveio kyrkje
View of the church in 2015
Sveio Church Location of the church Sveio Church Sveio Church (Norway)
59.5434°N 5.3517°E
Location	Sveio, Vestland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	Middle ages
Consecrated	22 Aug 1858
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Andreas Grønning
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	1858
Specifications
Capacity	630
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Sveio
Deanery	Sunnhordland prosti
Diocese	Bjørgvin bispedømme
Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site
Type	Church
Status	Listed
ID	85011

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1686, but at that time it was described as an old, dilapidated stave church without a tower (Norwegian: een liden Vdgammel och i Grund forfalden Stafuekirche uden Taarn). At that time it was located on the west side of Sveiahaugen, about 250 metres (820 ft) west of the present-day location. The church was surrounded by a 30 by 30 metres (98 ft × 98 ft) cemetery. In 1688, that church was torn down and rebuilt by the builder Oluff Bysemb from Osterøy. The new church was located slightly to the west of the previous church, but still located inside the cemetery. The new church was partially constructed with salvaged materials from the previous building. [3]

After about 170 years, the church was too small for the congregation, so it was decided to tear down the old church and build a new one. In 1858, a new church was built on the east side of Sveiahaugen, about 250 metres (820 ft) east of the historic location of the church. The new, wooden church was consecrated on 22 August 1858.[4][5]

See also

• List of churches in Bjørgvin

References

1. "Sveio kyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
3. "Sveio gamle kirkested" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
4. "Kirker i Hordaland fylke" (in Norwegian). DIS-Hordaland. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
5. "Sveio kyrkjestad / Sveio kyrkje 3" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 31 May 2020.