Solund Church ( no, Solund kyrkje) is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the 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 community activitie ...

of the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. ...

Solund Municipality Solund is a municipality in the county of Vestland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. Solund is the westernmost island municipality in Norway. Holmebåen on the island of Steinsøy is the westernmost point in all o ...

Vestland Vestland is a county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Bergen, whe ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It is located in the village of

Hardbakke Hardbakke ( en, "Hard Hill") is the administrative centre of the municipality of Solund in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the west side of the island of Sula, just across the strait from the island of Steinsundøyna. Hardb ...

on the western coast of the island of

Sula Sula may refer to: Places Norway * Sula (island), an island in Sula municipality, Møre og Romsdal county * Sula, Møre og Romsdal, a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county * Sula, Solund, an island in Solund municipality, Vestland county * Y ...

. It is one of the three churches for the Solund

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

which is part of the

Nordhordland prosti Nordhordland is a traditional district in the western part of Norway. The district consists of the northern portion of the old Hordaland county (now in Vestland county), north of the city of Bergen. It includes the municipalities Alver, Aust ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman 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 reside ...

) in the

Diocese of Bjørgvin The Diocese of Bjørgvin ( no, Bjørgvin bispedømme) is one of the 11 dioceses that make up the Church of Norway. It includes all of the churches located in the county of Vestland in Western Norway. The cathedral city is Bergen, Norway's second ...

. The white, wooden church was built in a

long church Church building in Norway began when 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 instance under Urnes Stave ...

design in 1860 using plans drawn up by the

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 ...

Christian Henrik Grosch. The church seats about 200 people.

History

Historically, the only church in

Solund Solund is a municipality in the county of Vestland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. Solund is the westernmost island municipality in Norway. Holmebåen on the island of Steinsøy is the westernmost point in all of Nor ...

was the

Utvær Chapel Utvær is an island group in Solund Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is the westernmost archipelago in Norway. The main residential area on the rocky islands is also called Utvær. It lies on the western side of the Sognesjøen which i ...

in the western part of the municipality. By the mid-1800s, another church was needed in Solund, so plans were made for a new church in Hardbakke, in the central part of the municipality. At that time, the church was to be built in a very rural area (after the church was built, the area became one of the largest urban areas in the municipality). The new church was designed by Christian Henrik Grosch and the lead builder was Askild Andersen Aase. It was a modest sized

with the

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-typ ...

measuring and a square

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...

measuring on each side. In 1929, the walls were covered with new panelling. The church was

consecrate Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

d on 22 November 1860 by the Bishop

Jens Matthias Pram Kaurin Jens Matthias Pram Kaurin (25 November 1804 – 6 July 1863) was a Norwegian professor of theology, biblical translator, and Lutheran priest. He served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Bjørgvin from 1858 until 1861. Life and family Jens Kaurin ...

. In 1959, the church was wired for electric lights and electric heating. The following year, 1960, the church was redecorated on the inside for the 100th anniversary celebrations. Bathrooms were installed in the church in 1980. A new slate roof was put on the church in 1999. From 1860 until 1 January 2000, the church was the main church for the Solund parish. On 1 January 2000, the three parishes in the municipality were merged into one large parish with three churches.

References

{{use dmy dates, date=October 2021 Solund Churches in Vestland Long churches in Norway Wooden churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1860 1860 establishments in Norway

History

See also

References