Holmedal Church (Vestland)

Holmedal Church (Norwegian: Holmedal kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Kvinnherad Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Utåker. It is one of the three churches for the Husnes og Holmedal 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 1882 using designs by the architect F. Øvrevik. The church seats about 215 people.[1][2]

Holmedal Church
Holmedal kyrkje
View of the church
Holmedal Church Location of the church Show map of Vestland Holmedal Church Holmedal Church (Norway) Show map of Norway
59.7834°N 5.9027°E / 59.7834; 5.9027
Location	Kvinnherad, Vestland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	13th century
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	F. Øvrevik
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	1882
Specifications
Capacity	215
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Husnes og Holmedal
Deanery	Sunnhordland prosti
Diocese	Bjørgvin bispedømme
Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site
Type	Church
Status	Listed
ID	84604

History

View of the church

The church has been around since the Middle Ages. The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1360, but it was not new at that time. That church was a stave church with a tower that was located at Holmedal. In both the 1600s and 1700s, major repairs were undertaken, including removing the tower. The nave measured approximately 13.8 by 7.5 metres (45 ft × 25 ft) with a choir that measured about 5 by 4.4 metres (16 ft × 14 ft). In 1724, the church was purchased from the Crown by Henrik H. Formann, the manager of the Lyse Abbey. The church was sold along with hundreds of other churches to raise money to pay down the debt from the Great Northern War. In 1814, the old church was torn down and the owner at that time, Haktor Amundsen Tveit, paid to build a new church on the same site. The new church was a small rectangular church without a separate choir and no tower. In 1866, the parish purchased the church back from private owners at a cost of 325 Norwegian speciedalers.[3] After the church was constructed the local parish priest, P. Bøckmann complained that it "looks like a barn building and not like a church, it is a cramped house, has no chancel building, no tower, not even a marking that indicates it is God's house" (Norwegian: “ser ud som en Ladebygning og ikke som en Kirke, er et for trangt Hus, ingen Korbygning, intet Taarn, end ikke en Fløi paa Møningen tyder paa at det er Guds Hus”).[4]

On 11 December 1880, a royal resolution was passed that approved the moving of the Holmedal Church from its historic location to one that was more centrally located in the parish, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to the southwest in the village of Utåker. In 1882, the church was taken down, moved, and rebuilt using a new design by the local lensmann F. Øvrevik from Skånevik. The new church has a choir that is approximately 4.5 by 5.6 metres (15 ft × 18 ft) and the nave is about 8.1 by 15.5 metres (27 ft × 51 ft). The church was renovated for the 100th anniversary in 1982 under the direction of architect Magne Ivarsøy.[4][5][6]

See also

• List of churches in Bjørgvin

References

1. "Holmedal kyrkje, Kvinnherad". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
3. "Holmedal kyrkjestad - gamle" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
4. Lidén, Hans-Emil. "Holmedal kirke" (in Norwegian). Norges Kirker. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
5. "Kirker i Hordaland fylke" (in Norwegian). DIS-Hordaland. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
6. "Holmedal kyrkjestad - nye / Holmedal kyrkje 3" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 3 June 2020.