Midtgulen Church

Midtgulen Church (Norwegian: Midtgulen kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Bremanger Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Midtgulen, along the shore of the Gulen fjord. It is one of the two churches for the Midtgulen parish which is part of the Nordfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1904 by the architect Lars Sølvberg from Utvik. The church seats about 180 people.[1][2] The church was consecrated on 3 May 1904, by the Bishop Johan Willoch Erichsen.[3][4]

Midtgulen Church
Midtgulen kyrkje
View of the church
Midtgulen Church Location of the church Show map of Vestland Midtgulen Church Midtgulen Church (Norway) Show map of Norway
61.7403°N 5.1631°E / 61.7403; 5.1631
Location	Bremanger Municipality, Vestland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
Website	https://kyrkja.no/bremanger
History
Status	Parish church
Consecrated	3 May 1904
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Lars Sølvberg
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	1904
Specifications
Capacity	180
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Midtgulen
Deanery	Nordfjord prosti
Diocese	Bjørgvin

History

The old municipality of Bremanger comprised some areas around the Gulen fjord, while the majority of people lived on the island of Bremangerlandet where the parish church was located. The local people of Midtgulen promoted the church issue more in the form of a wish rather than a demand, and they discussed the matter more among themselves than with the vicar.

The first vicar in the parish, Ulrik Koren, was not particularly enthusiastic about building a church at Mudtgulen, as this would imply crossing the Frøysjøen strait in all kinds of weather. The vicar on his part took no initiative to build more churches in the parish. A new church was built on the island of Frøya in the 1860s, moving the parish church to a more central location.

When the people of Gulen got an auxiliary graveyard in 1879, this was a step closer to getting their own church. In the early 1890s, the matter was formally put on the agenda for the local council. There was no discussion whatsoever concerning the location of the new church; it had to be next to the graveyard.

The people of Gulen got a fine and suitable church site close to the pine forest in the sheltered bay of Hjellvika. Various organisations and individuals joined forces to work and give gifts as the church was being built. The Gulen Rifle Club paid for the coloured window panes used in the church until the restoration work in 1954. The local youth organisation donated money for the first organ, and the congregation raised money for the baptismal font, and other objects and furniture.[3]

See also

• List of churches in Bjørgvin

References

1. "Midtgulen kyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
3. Aaraas, Margrethe; Venden, Sigurd (2000). "Midtgulen Church". Sogn og Fjordane Arkiv. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2008-09-27.
4. "Kyrkjene i Gulenfjordane" (in Norwegian). NRK.no. 2007. Retrieved 2008-09-27.