Fortun Church

Fortun Church (Norwegian: Fortun kyrkje) is a parish church in Luster Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Fortun. It is the church for the Fortun parish which is part of the Sogn prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1879 using designs by the architect Erik Pedersen Rusten. The church seats about 250 people.[1][2]

Fortun Church
Fortun kyrkje
View of the church
Fortun Church Location of the church Show map of Vestland Fortun Church Fortun Church (Norway) Show map of Norway
61.4951°N 7.6888°E / 61.4951; 7.6888
Location	Luster Municipality, Vestland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	13th century
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Erik Pedersen Rusten
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	1879
Specifications
Capacity	250
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Fortun
Deanery	Sogn prosti
Diocese	Bjørgvin

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1330, but it was not new that year; it was likely built sometime between 1160 and 1180. The original building was a stave church with a rectangular nave measuring 16.5 by 5.5 metres (54 ft × 18 ft) and a slightly narrower 4.5-metre (15 ft) wide choir. The original church stood about 100 metres (330 ft) northeast of the present location of the church. In 1666, the choir was torn down and replaced with a larger one, the same width as the nave. Over time, the church became too small for the congregation and it was decided to replace it. [3]

A new church was built about 100 metres (330 ft) southwest of the old church, a little closer to the river. The new church was completed and consecrated in 1879. After its completion, the decision was made to tear down the old church, but there was some controversy about this decision. Eventually, it was torn down, but the consul Fredrik Georg Gade bought most of the building materials and moved them to Fantoft in Bergen in 1883. There, Gade rebuilt the church and named Fantoft Stave Church. It was used as a museum and cultural site for over a century. On 6 June 1992, the centuries-old church was destroyed in an arson fire. Soon after, in 1997, a replica building was completed on the same site, but virtually all of the old parts from the original stave church in Fortun had been lost.[4][5]

Media gallery

• 
  Exterior view
• 
  View of the church in the late 19th century
• 
  View of the old stave church before it was moved to Bergen

See also

• List of churches in Bjørgvin

References

1. "Fortun kyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
3. "Fortun gamle kirkested" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
4. "Fortun kyrkjestad / Fortun kyrkje 2" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
5. Henden Aaraas, Margrethe; Vengen, Sigurd; Gjerde, Anders. "Fortun kyrkje" (in Norwegian). Fylkesarkivet. Retrieved 2020-01-18.