Stødle Church

Stødle Church (Norwegian: Stødle kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Etne Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Etnesjøen. It is one of the churches for the Etne parish which is part of the Sunnhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, stone and wood church was built in a long church style in 1160 using designs by an unknown architect. The church has been renovated and expanded several times over the centuries, and it currently seats about 245 people.[1][2]

View of the church

Stødle Church
Stødle kyrkje
View of the church
Stødle Church Location of the church Show map of Vestland Stødle Church Stødle Church (Norway) Show map of Norway
59.6731°N 5.9658°E / 59.6731; 5.9658
Location	Etne, Vestland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Previous denomination	Catholic Church
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	c. 1160
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Unknown
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	c. 1160
Specifications
Capacity	245
Materials	Stone and wood
Administration
Parish	Etne
Deanery	Sunnhordland prosti
Diocese	Bjørgvin bispedømme
Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site
Type	Church
Status	Automatically protected
ID	84992

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1329, but the church was likely built around the year 1160. It is believed that the church may have originally been a private church for the family of Erling Skakke, a Norwegian Jarl, who lived in Stødle during the 12th century.

For centuries it was a stone church, but since an expansion in the first half of the 1600s, a portion of the church is now wooden. The church was purchased by J.F. Tuchsen in 1723, when the King sold many churches to pay for the expenses from the Great Northern War. After several different private owners, the church was purchased by the parish in 1860 and was no longer privately owned. In 1879, a tower was added on the west end. In 1957-1958, the church underwent a major renovation.[3][4]

See also

• List of churches in Bjørgvin

References

1. "Stødle kyrkje, Etne". 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 9 April 2015.
4. "Stødle kyrkjestad" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 31 May 2020.