Tønjum Church

Tønjum Church (Norwegian: Tønjum kyrkje) is a parish church in Lærdal Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Tønjum. It is the church for the Tønjum parish which is part of the Sogn prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The red, wooden church was built in a cruciform style in 1832 using designs by an unknown architect. The church seats about 175 people.[1][2]

Tønjum Church
Tønjum kyrkje
View of the church
Tønjum Church
Location of the church
Tønjum Church
Tønjum Church (Norway)
61.0572°N 7.5167°E / 61.0572; 7.5167
LocationLærdal Municipality,
Vestland
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
Foundedc. 1200
Consecrated30 September 1832
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Unknown
Architectural typeCruciform
Completed1832
Specifications
Capacity175
MaterialsWood
Administration
ParishTønjum
DeanerySogn prosti
DioceseBjørgvin
TypeChurch
StatusAutomatically protected
ID85703

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1305, but the church was not new that year. The first church was likely a stave church that was built during the early 1200s. The nave of the old church measured 10.7 by 8.1 metres (35 ft × 27 ft) with a choir that was 6.9 by 4.4 metres (23 ft × 14 ft). The church had a tower on the west end. In January 1823, the old church was heavily damaged by the wind during a big winter storm and it had to be torn down. About nine years later, after much discussion and debate, it was decided to build a new church on the same site. Some of the materials from the old church were reused in the new church. The new church was consecrated on 30 September 1832 by Bishop Jacob Neumann.[3][4]

See also

References
  1. "Tønjum kyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  3. "Tønjum kyrkjestad - Lærdal" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  4. Henden Aaraas, Margrethe; Vengen, Sigurd; Gjerde, Anders. "Tønjum kyrkje" (in Norwegian). Fylkesarkivet. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.