Berle Church

Berle Church has obvious similarities to the Nordsida Church in nearby Stryn Municipality and the interior is designed in the same way. The chancel is separated from the nave by a simple, square altar rail. The room is light, marked by the white concrete walls and the pine-panelled slanted ceiling, with narrow windows on the sides. On the side of the main room there are partition walls to the smaller assembly room, but both rooms are used for the major church services. The small assembly room is normally used for various club activities, festive occasions, church coffees, funerals, as well as meetings of the church council. The kitchen is also used as a baptismal vestry, whereas the vicar's vestry is located to the right of the chancel. ==History==

Berle Church is one of the most modern churches in the county is located on the island of Bremangerlandet along the Frøysjøen strait. It was built four years after the similar Nordsida Church was built at Roset in Stryn Municipality. In the village of Berle, people had worked almost as long as the people in the village of Roset to get a church of their own. In the former case, however, it was not a discussion of location which slowed down the process, but rather the fact that other projects were given priority. Around 1910, the Berle district applied to become a separate chapel district, but the Rugsund parish council put off dealing with the application, and eventually turned it down. But the inhabitants on the eastern side of Bremangerlandet refused to give up. In 1911, they started raising money to build a church. Finally, in 1963, things started moving in the right direction when a special committee was appointed to work for a more targeted approach in the church cause. Bishop Per Juvkam's visit to Berle was also an inspiration for their cause. Later on, he took the initiative to let the people of Berle use the same design for Kilsfjord Church in Sunnmøre had done for their church, a cooperation the village of Roset later on joined in. The municipal council of Davik Municipality was also in favour of these plans (Berle was part of Davik Municipality at that time). There was cause for optimism in the local community until the extensive changes in municipal borders that took place in 1965, when the part of Davik Municipality which included Berle was transferred to Bremanger Municipality. In the new and bigger municipality other things proved to be more important than building a church at Berle. In 1975, the municipal council of Bremanger Municipality finally resolved to build the long-awaited chapel. Bishop Per Juvkam was also a very happy man when he returned to Berle on 21 May 1976 to lay the foundation stone for the chapel. The following year, on 3 July 1977, his successor, bishop Thor With, came to Berle to consecrate this modern church building. ==See also==