Holsen Church

Holsen Church (Norwegian: Holsen kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Holsen. It is one of the two churches for the Holsen og Haukedalen parish which is part of the Sunnfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1861 using designs by the architect Jacob Wilhelm Nordan. The church seats about 200 people.[1][2]

Holsen Church
Holsen kyrkje
View of the church
Holsen Church Location of the church Show map of Vestland Holsen Church Holsen Church (Norway) Show map of Norway
61.4187°N 6.1540°E / 61.4187; 6.1540
Location	Sunnfjord Municipality, Vestland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	13th century
Consecrated	11 Dec 1861
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Jacob Wilhelm Nordan
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	1861
Specifications
Capacity	200
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Holsen og Haukedalen
Deanery	Sunnfjord prosti
Diocese	Bjørgvin

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1330. This medieval stave church was located about 100 metres (330 ft) southeast of the present church site. The nearly 500-year-old church was one of the last stave churches that was still standing in the Sunnfjord district when it was torn down around 1722.[3] A new timber-framed church was built about 100 metres (330 ft) to the northwest where the new church would be safer from flooding. The new church sits near the mouth of the river Norddøla and the lake Holsavatnet. In 1861, the small timber-framed church was torn down and a new church was built on the same site.[4] The new church was consecrated on 11 December 1861 by the local Dean Johan Christie.[5]

From the 13th century until the 17th century, the people of the nearby Haukedalen valley also belonged to the Holsen Church parish, before they had their own church: Haukedalen Church.[5]

Building

The church has a symmetrical appearance, with a steeple in the middle. The porch to the west and the vestry to the east are equal in size. The interior walls are not painted, there is no gallery, and the ceiling is flat and painted blue. On each long side there are three large windows. The church remained unchanged until 1936, when the ceiling, mouldings, altar rail, and pulpit were given new colours. Angular braces, which supported the ceiling and the walls, were removed, and the church interior became more open. Behind the simple wooden cross on the altar a canopy with stars against a blue background was installed.[5]

See also

• List of churches in Bjørgvin

References

1. "Holsen kyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
3. "Holsen gamle kyrkjestad" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
4. "Holsen kyrkjestad" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
5. "Holsen kyrkje". Sogn og Fjordane Fylkesarkiv. Retrieved 2013-11-22.