Old Stordal Church

Old Stordal Church (Norwegian: Stordal gamle kyrkje) or the Rosekyrkja is a former parish church of the Church of Norway in Fjord Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the village of Stordal. It is now a museum that is owned by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments. It was once the church for the Stordal parish which is part of the Nordre Sunnmøre prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Møre.[1]

Old Stordal Church
Stordal gamle kyrkje Rosekyrkja
View of the church
Old Stordal Church Location of the church Show map of Møre og Romsdal Old Stordal Church Old Stordal Church (Norway) Show map of Norway
62.38397°N 7.01434°E / 62.38397; 7.01434
Location	Fjord Municipality, Møre og Romsdal
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	15th century
Architecture
Functional status	Museum
Architect(s)	Ebbe Carsten Tønder
Architectural type	Octagonal
Completed	1789
Closed	1908
Specifications
Capacity	170
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Stordal
Deanery	Nordre Sunnmøre prosti
Diocese	Møre

Design

The white, wooden church was built in an octagonal style in 1789 to replace an earlier stave church on the site. [2] The building was designed by local priest Ebbe Carsten Tønder who died four years before construction was completed, so it must have been planned at the time of Norddal Church (completed 1782). Tønder came from Trondheim and may have been inspired by the two older octagonal churches there.[3] This church was built by the people of the Stordal parish and it was regularly used until 1908 when the new Stordal Church was completed, about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) to the west. The church seats about 170 people. The church is also known as the Norwegian: Rosekyrkja or "Rose Church" because the interior walls and ceilings are painted with rosemaling, a decorative style of painting that is common in Norway. It is one of the most decorated churches in Norway.[3] Wood materials from the stave church was probably reused, such as in the roof of the vestibule and the four large columns. There is a crucifix (13th century) and a baptismal font from the older church. The stave church was likely rose painted inside too.[4]

Interior

While the exterior is plain white, the interior (walls, columns, ceiling) is richly decorated. The style is 18th century renaissance. Along walls there are images of Biblical characters and events. The five "bad maidens" and five "god maidens" are depicted on the north wall, or the left hand side that was traditionally women's side. The message reads: "Do not be reckless like the bad maidens that lost their bridegroom and forgot their beatitude." David and Goliath and Samson and the lion are also on the north wall. The apostles are portrayed on the south wall, while the evangelists can be seen above the entrance to the choir.[3]

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to 1432, but it wasn't new at that time. The church is listed in Aslak Bolt's cadastre and later records. Hans Strøm in 1766 described the old stave church: "It is a small and modest stave church, that is not particular in any way. The building is maintained by the congregation that also owns it."[5] The church was described as being rectangular and measuring 20.5 by 8.5 metres (67 ft × 28 ft). In 1788, the old stave church was torn down and replaced by a brand new church on the same site the following year. The church from 1789 is still standing, but it was taken out of use in 1907 when the new Stordal Church was built. In 1908, the old church was purchased by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments which has preserved it as a museum since that time.[6]

Gallery

• 
  Interior seen from balcony
• 
  Pulpit
• 
  Altar, crucifix, baptismal font
• 
  Marc and Luke, the evangelists
• 
  The five "bad maidens", message below
• 
  Ceiling, rope to church bells
• 
  Model ship over nave
• 
  Seats with name of owner
• 
  Message on entrance door
• 
• 
• 
• 
  View to north, entrance left hand
• 
  Stone fence, east facade
• 
  Tower

See also

• List of churches in Møre

References

1. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
2. "Stordal gamle kyrkje (Rosekyrkja)". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
3. Ekroll, Øystein (2012). Sunnmørskyrkjene - historie, kunst og arkitektur (in Norwegian). Larsnes: Bla AS.
4. Strømsøy, Kenneth (16 July 2003). "Rosekyrkja" (PDF). Storfjordnytt (in Norwegian). 2003 (28). p. 2.
5. Strøm, Hans (1766). Physisk og Oeconomisk Beskrivelse over Fogderiet Søndmør, beliggende i Bergens Stift i Norge (in Norwegian). Kiøbenhavn. p. 220.
6. "Stordal kyrkjestad" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2019-08-17.