Sela Church () is a

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

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 ...

Steinkjer Municipality or is a municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Steinkjer (town), town of Steinkjer which is located on the inne ...

Trøndelag Trøndelag (; or is a county and coextensive with the Trøndelag region (also known as ''Midt-Norge'' or ''Midt-Noreg,'' "Mid-Norway") in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County (); in 1804 the county was ...

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 in the village of Sela. It is an

annex chapel A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to travel distance. Often a ...

for the Malm

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

Stiklestad prosti This list of churches in Nidaros is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Nidaros in Norway. It includes all of the parishes in Trøndelag county. The diocese is based at the Nidaros Cathedral in the city of Trondheim (city), T ...

(

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 Nidaros Nidaros is a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Norway. It covers Trøndelag county in Central Norway and its cathedral city is Trondheim, which houses the well-known Nidaros Cathedral. Since 10 September 2017, the Bishop of Nidaros is Herborg ...

. The white, wooden 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 ...

style in 1997. The church seats about 120 people.

History

The first chapel in Sela was built in 1895. The chapel was built by Petter Estensen. The villagers financed the building and the teacher Anton Granhus made the drawings for the local builders. The church was long, with a low spire. It was built to seat about 100 people. On 26 October 1895, a royal resolution granted permission to consecrate the small chapel that the local residents had built. It was

consecrate Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

d on 15 July 1896 by Bishop

Johannes Skaar Johannes Nilssøn Skaar (also spelled ''Johannes Nilsson Skaar'') (15 November 1828 – 13 December 1904) was a Norwegian bishop and hymnologist. Skaar was born in Øystese, Kvam, Norway in 1828. He received his cand.theol. degree in 18 ...

. A plot of land by the church was also consecrated as a burial ground. The church officials decided that four services a year should be held at the chapel: two by the parish priest from

Beitstad Church Beitstad Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Steinkjer Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Beitstad. It is the main church for the Beitstad parish which is part of the Stiklestad prosti ...

, one by the parish priest from

Ytterøy Church Ytterøy Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Levanger Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located on the island of Ytterøya, just north of the village of Hokstad. It is the church for the Ytterøy parish which i ...

, and one by the parish priest in

Åfjord Church Åfjord Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Åfjord Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Årnes, just east of the Åfjorden and west of the lake Stordalsvatnet. It is one of two churche ...

. The church was not well-made and so by the 1930s, the church was in poor condition. It was torn down in 1937. The second chapel on this site was built in 1937 right after the previous building was torn down. The new building was

d on 21 September 1937 by Bishop

Johan Nicolai Støren Johan Nicolai Støren (22 July 1871 – 14 November 1956) was a Norwegian bishop and theologian. Education and career Støren was born in Trysil Municipality in Hedmark county, Norway, the son of vicar Abraham Wilhelm Støren and his wife Lagert ...

. The chapel was designed by

Roar Tønseth Roar Tønseth (1895—1985) was a Norwegian architect. He had an unusually long career as an architect, stretching from before 1920 to the early 1980s. Roar Tønseth was the son of Johannes Tønseth (1860-1896) and Henrikke Ryjord (1869-1940 ...

. It was a log building with a

turf roof A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage ...

and a cross on the roof. In 1955, after only 28 years in use, the building was condemned due to rot and fungal infestation. The building was demolished and burned. The local schoolhouse in Kruven was used to hold church services after that time, but there were no immediate plans to replace the building. Finally, after many years without a chapel building, a new chapel was built in 1997. It was

d on 28 September 1997 by the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Finn Wagle. This church was built near where the old ''Selahaugen'' church used to stand until the 1955.

References

{{use dmy dates, date=May 2021 Steinkjer Churches in Trøndelag Long churches in Norway Wooden churches in Norway 20th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1997 1895 establishments in Norway

History

See also

References