Onarheim Church

Onarheim Church (Norwegian: Onarheim kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Tysnes Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Onarheim on the southeastern side of the island of Tysnesøya. It is the church for the Onarheim 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 1893 using designs by the architect Karl Askeland from Radøy. The church seats about 500 people.[1][2]

Onarheim Church
Onarheim kirke
View of the church
Onarheim Church Location of the church Show map of Vestland Onarheim Church Onarheim Church (Norway) Show map of Norway
59.9468°N 5.6272°E / 59.9468; 5.6272
Location	Tysnes, Vestland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	12th century
Consecrated	7 July 1893
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Karl Askeland
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	1893
Specifications
Capacity	500
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Onarheim
Deanery	Sunnhordland prosti
Diocese	Bjørgvin bispedømme
Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site
Type	Church
Status	Listed
ID	85219

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1327. At that time, it was a stone church that had been built some time earlier (probably in the late 1100s). In 1686, the church was described as having a stone nave and a wooden choir. It was sold into private ownership in 1723. In 1819–1820, the church was in disrepair, so it was completely renovated and rebuilt. The entire nave was demolished and rebuilt and the choir was heavily renovated. In 1863, the municipality of Tysnes bought back the church from private ownership. As the population of the parish increased, the church eventually became too small, so in 1893, the old church was torn down and a new church was built on the same site. The new church was consecrated on 7 July 1893 by the Bishop Fredrik Waldemar Hvoslef.[3][4]

See also

• List of churches in Bjørgvin

References

1. "Onarheim kyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
3. "Kirker i Hordaland fylke" (in Norwegian). DIS-Hordaland. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
4. "Onarheim kyrkjestad" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 31 May 2020.