Stor-Elvdal Church
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Stor-Elvdal Church () is a
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
Stor-Elvdal Municipality Stor-Elvdal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village o ...
in
Innlandet Innlandet is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. It was created on 1 January 2020 with the merger of the old counties of Oppland and Hedmark (Jevnaker Municipality and Lunner Municipality were transferred to the neighboring county of Viken ( ...
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 Negardshaugen. It is one of the churches for the Stor-Elvdal
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
Sør-Østerdal prosti The list of churches in Hamar is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Hamar in Norway. It includes all of the parishes in Innlandet county plus the parishes in Lunner Municipality in Akershus county. The diocese is based at th ...
(
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 Hamar The Diocese of Hamar () is a diocese within the Church of Norway. The Diocese of Hamar includes all of the churches in Innlandet county plus the churches in Lunner Municipality in Akershus county. Administratively, the diocese is divided into 1 ...
. The white, wooden church was built in a
octagonal In geometry, an octagon () is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, which alternates two types of edges. A truncated octagon, t is a hex ...
design in 1821 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 ...
Sven Aspaas Svend Halvorsen Aspaas (1736–January 1816) was a Norwegian architect and builder who is known for several of the churches he built. He was also a master builder for the Røros Copper Works. He is credited as having invented and built a type ...
. The church seats about 450 people.


History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1318, but that was not the year the church was first built. The first church in Stor-Elvdal was likely a wooden
stave church A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the building's structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts ...
that was likely built during the 12th century. The church built on the ''Koppangsjordet'' island in the river
Glomma The Glomma or Glåma is Norway's longest and most voluminous river. With a total length of , it has a drainage basin that covers 13% of Norway's surface area, all in the southern part of the country. Geography At its fullest length, the river r ...
, just south of today's town of
Koppang is a village in Stor-Elvdal Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located along the river Glomma in the Østerdalen valley. The Rørosbanen railway and the Norwegian National Road 3 both run through the village. The railway s ...
, and at that time it was known as the ''Koppangkirken''. Historically, this site was on the mainland, but over time, the river course has changed, creating a large island between two branches of the river. Archaeological evidence shows that the church measured approximately . Sometime during the 15th century, the river flooded and the church was significantly damaged. Legend says that some of the timbers ended up on the mainland about to the south on a plot of land that was later known as ''Kirkemoen''. Parishioners took this as a sign and after the flood, the old church was torn down and a new church was built on the site were the timbers ended up. This new church was dedicated to the archangel Michael, so it was known as St. Michael's Church. This church was also a wooden
stave church A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the building's structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts ...
that was about the same size as the previous building, . This church had a tarred exterior and no tower. Some of the salvageable materials from the old church were reused in the construction of this building. In 1625, 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-type ...
was extended about to the west to give more room for seating. In 1638–1640, the church was renovated which included replacing the roof and a new
pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...
. In 1730, the church was enlarged again, this time by adding
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
s to the north and south to create a
cruciform A cruciform is a physical manifestation resembling a common cross or Christian cross. These include architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described as having a cruciform ...
floor plan. A
sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...
was also built on the end of the eastern wing of the building and a tower on the roof. By the late-18th century, the church was in poor condition and was in need of replacement or significant repairs. After much debate and discussion, it was decided to build a new church on a new site about further south along the river. The new church was designed by
Sven Aspaas Svend Halvorsen Aspaas (1736–January 1816) was a Norwegian architect and builder who is known for several of the churches he built. He was also a master builder for the Røros Copper Works. He is credited as having invented and built a type ...
and it had an
octagonal In geometry, an octagon () is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, which alternates two types of edges. A truncated octagon, t is a hex ...
design. Construction began in 1807, and in 1809 the walls were completed and the roof and tower were put in place as well as the spire from the old church. Then, construction stopped due to the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
, distress, and famine. The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars in the early 1800s that contributed to the end of the
Kingdom of Denmark-Norway Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchic state or realm ruled by a king or queen. ** A monarchic chiefdom, represented or governed by a king or queen. * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and me ...
. Also, the architect, Sven Aspaas, died in 1815. It wasn't until 1819 that the construction work began again, led by Ole Evenstad. The church was
consecrated 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 (a ...
on 12 September 1821 even though it was not entirely finished at that time. After the consecration, the work continued until around 1830 with the installation of wood stoves, the tarring of the roof, the painting of the towers and exterior siding, and painting the interior painting. Around 1890, a major renovation was carried out using plans by the architect Herman Backer. A new
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 ...
was built on the east end of the octagonal building. Two
sacristies A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...
were built on either side of it as well. A
church porch A church porch is a room-like structure at a church's main entrance. A porch protects from the weather to some extent. Some porches have an outer door, others a simple gate, and in some cases the outer opening is not closed in any way. The porch ...
was built on the west end of the building too. Also during this renovation, the roof and tower were removed and the walls were built taller before rebuilding the roof and tower. New exterior siding was installed along with new interior benches and interior painting. The church is said to no longer have anything left from the church Sven Aspaas built except for the octagonal skeleton of timber. The remodeled building was re-
consecrated 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 (a ...
on 18 March 1891 by Bishop
Arnoldus Hille Arnoldus Marius Hille (14 March 1829 – 7 January 1919) was a Norwegian Lutheran Bishop. Biography Hille was born in Leikanger, Nordre Bergenhus, Norway. He was the son of Wollert Krohn Hille (1796–1860) and Elisabeth Marie Hess Lem (17 ...
.


Media gallery

Stor-Elvdal kirke, Stor-Elvdal kommune, Hedemark.jpg Stor-Elvdal kirke T114 01 0209.tif 708 Storelvedalen Kirke - no-nb digifoto 20150807 00050 bldsa PK27550.jpg


See also

*
List of churches in Hamar The list of churches in Hamar is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Hamar in Norway. It includes all of the parishes in Innlandet county plus the parishes in Lunner Municipality in Akershus county. The diocese is based at ...


References

{{use dmy dates, date=December 2021 Stor-Elvdal Churches in Innlandet Octagonal churches in Norway Wooden churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1821 12th-century establishments in Norway