Ølmheim Church

Ølmheim Church (Norwegian: Ølmheim kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Sogndal Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Nornes, on the northern shore of the Sogndalsfjorden. It is the church for the Norum 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 1863 using designs by the architect Christian Henrik Grosch. The church seats about 230 people.[1][2]

Ølmheim Church
Ølmheim kyrkje
View of the church
Ølmheim Church Location of the church Show map of Vestland Ølmheim Church Ølmheim Church (Norway) Show map of Norway
61.1707°N 6.9944°E / 61.1707; 6.9944
Location	Sogndal Municipality, Vestland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Former name(s)	Norum Church Ylmheim Church
Status	Parish church
Founded	13th century
Consecrated	1863
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Christian Heinrich Grosch
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	1863
Specifications
Capacity	230
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Norum
Deanery	Sogn prosti
Diocese	Bjørgvin
Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site
Type	Church
Status	Listed
ID	85175

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1308, but the church was likely built in the 13th century. The first church here was a stave church which was in use until 1700 or 1701 when it burned down. A new cruciform church was built in 1703 to replace it. Over time, the new church was too small for the congregation, so in 1863 a new church was constructed about 20 metres (66 ft) to the west of the old church. After the new building was completed, the old church was torn down.[3]

On 15 January 1989, lightning struck the tower and it started burning. The fire department was alerted and arrived quickly enough that they had extinguished the fire before the whole church was destroyed. The tower was re-built in the autumn of the same year, and it looks the same as before.[4][5]

Name

Historically, the church had been called Ylmheim Church (or Ølmheim Church), after the name of the nearby farm. However, starting around the year 1840, the church and the parish were named Norum. In 2015, the church was renamed using the historic Ølmheim name, but the parish name remained as Norum.[6]

See also

• List of churches in Bjørgvin

References

1. "Ølmheim kyrkje (Norum)". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
3. "Norum kyrkjestad" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
4. "Norum kyrkje" (in Norwegian). Sogndal kyrkjelege fellesråd. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
5. Henden Aaraas, Margrethe; Vengen, Sigurd; Gjerde, Anders. "Norum kyrkje" (in Norwegian). Fylkesarkivet. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
6. "No får kyrkja attende det gamle namnet" (in Norwegian). Sogn avis. Retrieved 2017-02-01.