Old Sakshaug Church

Old Sakshaug Church (Norwegian: Sakshaug gamle kirke) is a preserved, former parish church of the Church of Norway in Inderøy municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Sakshaug, just west of the municipal centre of Straumen. It is the former main church for the Inderøy parish which is part of the Stiklestad prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros. [1] [2] [3]

Old Sakshaug Church
Sakshaug gamle kirke
View of the church
Old Sakshaug Church Location of the church Show map of Trøndelag Old Sakshaug Church Old Sakshaug Church (Norway) Show map of Norway
63.8754°N 11.2787°E / 63.8754; 11.2787
Location	Inderøy, Trøndelag
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Previous denomination	Catholic Church
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Preserved
Architect(s)	Unknown
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	ca. 1150-1184
Specifications
Materials	Limestone
Administration
Parish	Inderøy
Deanery	Stiklestad prosti
Diocese	Nidaros

History

The stone church was built in a long church style during the 12th century on the basis of designs by an unknown architect. The medieval church is one of the oldest churches in Trøndelag, dating back to about 1150-1160. The choir was modernized with Gothic details in the early 1200s. At the end of the 18th century, an inscription was found that told church inauguration in 1184. The church was consecrated in 1184 by Eysteinn Erlendsson, Archbishop of the Diocese of Nidaros.[4]

The walls are built of limestone and the church is reinforced with supporting walls on the south side. It is Romanesque in design and has rounded portals to the south, west and north. The arch of the north gate is decorated with chevrones. The choir area is early Gothic in design. The church once had a west tower, but it had to be demolished in the Middle Ages. The pulpit is of wood and from 1646 and was carved by Trøndelag-based artist and craftsman Johan Johansen, bilthugger and painted by Johan Hanssønn, kontrafeier. The baroque altarpiece dates back to 1692. [5] [6]

The church was decommissioned in 1871 when the new Sakshaug Church (Sakshaug kirke) was consecrated. The roof, tower, decor and other woodwork were removed. The walls were left behind. The ownership of the church was transferred to the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments in 1873 and was renovated from 1910 to 1958 after having been without a roof and the interior since 1873. [7] [8] [9]

It has been suggested that the carving of a woman is one of three alleged examples of sheela na gig in Norway, the others being at Trondheim and Stiklestad; but the Sakshaug carving is "somewhat suspect as it appears to be more of a pine cone than sheela na gig."[10]

Media gallery

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See also

• List of churches in Nidaros

References

1. "Sakshaug gamle kirke". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2018-04-14.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2018-04-14.
3. Nina Aldin Thune. "Sakshaug gamle kirke" (in Norwegian). Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
4. "Sakshaug gamle kirke". lokalhistoriewiki. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
5. Sigrid Christie. "Johan Johansen, bilthugger". Norsk kunstnerleksikon. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
6. Ingeborg Reitan. "Johan Hanssønn, kontrafeier". Norsk kunstnerleksikon. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
7. "Sakshaug gamle kirke" (in Norwegian). Inderøy prestegjeld. Retrieved 2011-06-16.
8. "Sakshaug kirke". lokalhistoriewiki. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
9. "Sakshaug gamle kirke". Kunsthistorie. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
10. http://www.sheelanagig.org/wordpress/trondheim/

Other sources

• Kristoffersen, Kjersti Holien (2007) En bygningsarkeologisk undersøkelse av koret i Sakshaug kirke (University of Tromsø)