Kvamsøy Church
Kvamsøy kyrkje
View of the church
61°07′43″N 6°29′04″E / 61.128743712146°N 6.48456698660°E / 61.128743712146; 6.48456698660
LocationSogndal Municipality,
Vestland
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
Previous denominationCatholic Church
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church (former)
Foundedc. 1280-1300
Consecratedc. 1280-1300
Architecture
Functional statusPreserved museum
Architectural typeBasilica
Completedc. 1280 (1280)
Closed1903
Specifications
Capacity210
MaterialsStone
Administration
DioceseBjørgvin bispedømme
DeanerySogn prosti
ParishBalestrand
TypeChurch
StatusAutomatically protected
ID84858

Kvamsøy Church (Norwegian: Kvamsøy kyrkje) is a historic parish church of the Church of Norway in Sogndal Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located on the small island of Kvamsøy. It was the church for the old Kvamsøy parish which is now part of the Sogn prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, stone church was built in a basilica design between the years 1280 and 1300. The church seats about 210 people.[1][2]

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1330, but it was not new that year. The stone long church was likely built between 1280 and 1300 by an unknown architect. The church sat on the small island of Kvamsøy which lies about 50 metres (160 ft) off the mainland shore. The main body of the church measures 17.8 by 7.9 metres (58 ft × 26 ft). The stone walls generally measure about 134 centimetres (53 in) thick. The current tower on the church was built around the year 1715.[3][4][5]

This was the church for the parish of Kvamsøy until it was replaced in 1903 by the newly built Sæle Church on the mainland. Since the new church was built, Kvamsøy Church was taken out of regular use and it is used mostly as a museum. The parish continues to use the church for special events and it holds two services there each year: one in May and one on Olsok. Other special services such as funerals and weddings can be held there when requested. There is no electric heating in the church, so it is not used at all from October until May. The church is a protected historical site.[1][3][5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Kvamsøy kyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  2. ↑ "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  3. 1 2 Henden Aaraas, Margrethe; Vengen, Sigurd; Gjerde, Anders. "Kvamsøy kyrkje" (in Norwegian). Fylkesarkivet. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  4. ↑ "Kvamsøy kirkested" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Kvamsøy kirke". Norges-Kirker.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2 October 2021.

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