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Giske Church () is a 12th-century marble
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
of the
Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...
in
Giske Municipality Giske is an island List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Møre og Romsdal Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The municipality lies north-northwest of the Ålesund (town), town of Ålesund in the Districts of Norway, traditional distr ...
in
Møre og Romsdal Møre og Romsdal (; ) is a Counties of Norway, county in the northernmost part of Western Norway, Western Norway. It borders the counties of Trøndelag, Innlandet, and Vestland. The county administration is located in the Molde (town), town of M ...
county,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. It is located on the south side of the island of Giske, about northwest of the town of
Ålesund Ålesund () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of Ålesund Municipality. The centre of the town of Ålesund lies on the islands of Hessa, Aspøya, Ålesund, Asp� ...
. It is the main church for the Giske
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
which is part of the Nordre Sunnmøre prosti (
deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...
) in the Diocese of Møre. The
white marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is typically not foliat ...
church was built in a
long church Church building in Norway began when Christianity in Norway, Christianity was established there around the year 1000. The first buildings may have been post churches erected in the 10th or 11th century, but the evidence is inconclusive. For inst ...
design in the 12th century using plans drawn up by an unknown
architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
. The church seats about 125 people. The church is open for guided tours during the summer season.


Design

The church is built of
white marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is typically not foliat ...
. The origin of the marble is unclear, but it was brought to the island by boat. Where it came from before that is unknown. Today the walls are covered by chalk on the outside and plaster on the inside, so that the marble is only visible in a few places, all on the outside. The architectural style is Norman.


History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to 1309, but the church was not new that year. The church was likely built in the 12th century, but exact dates of its construction are not known. The church was originally a family chapel for the noble ''Giske'' family which owned the
Giske Estate Giske may refer to: Places *Giske Municipality, a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway * Giske (island), a island within Giske Municpiality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway * Giske (village), a village within Giske Municpiality in Mør ...
. The original building consisted of a rectangular
nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
and a
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
, but it has been refurbished several times over the centuries. After the
Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...
, the church fell into disuse and disrepair until 1756 when the Estate was purchased and the new owner, Hans Holtermann. Holtermann ordered the extensive renovation of the church soon after. Most of the interior today can be dated back to this renovation, carved by the local craftsman Jakob Sørensøn Giskegaard (1734–1827). The church was again renovated in the 1860s where it received new, larger windows and a new entrance to the
choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
for the priest to use.


Media gallery

Giske kyrkje Wilse.jpeg, View of the church from 1927 Giske kirke 3.jpg Giske kirke, Møre og Romsdal - Riksantikvaren-T321 01 0103.jpg Giske kirke, Møre og Romsdal - Riksantikvaren-T321 01 0099.jpg Giske kapell, interiør, Giske, Romsdals amt - fo30141510280014.jpg


See also

*
List of churches in Møre The list of churches in Møre is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Møre in Norway. It includes all of the parishes in Møre og Romsdal county. The Diocese is based at the Molde Cathedral in the city of Molde (town), Molde ...


References

{{use dmy dates, date=August 2021 Giske Churches in Møre og Romsdal Stone churches in Norway Long churches in Norway 12th-century churches in Norway 12th-century establishments in Norway