Churches in Norway

Institutional From early Christian times, a clerical administrative subdivision was established. For instance, in Hordaland there were subdivisions as one fourth ("fjordung" or "fjerding") or one eighth ("åttung") of a county, each with its own main church. The ban on Catholicism within Norway was lifted in 1843, while the ban on monastic orders were formally lifted in 1897. After the 1814 events, Norway was no longer under Danish rule and instead entered into a personal union with Sweden. A civil administration and national institutions were subsequently established within present day Norway. The Church of Norway is organized in 11 dioceses plus one presiding bishop. A cathedral () is the seat of a bishop, and "domkirke" (or merely "dom") refers to the function or status of the church, not the design, style or size of the building. Some churches in Norway are nicknamed cathedral or "dom" because of their size or architectural significance. The catholic church in Norway is organized in three dioceses, each with their own cathedral. The 1851 Church Act mandated that each church should accommodate at least 30% of the residents in the parish. The 623 churches from the late 1800s are thus relatively large. In the 19th century, a large number of churches were built according to basic prototypes compiled by architect Jacob Wilhelm Nordan, for instance Gjøvik Church. About 100 churches were erected according to Nordan's drawings, more than by any other architect in Norway. The same drawings were often used for more than one church. Drawings for Nes church in Hallingdal compiled by Georg Andreas Bull, were later used to construct Frosta Church. Architects Linstow and Grosch left their mark on the young capital Christiania as well as church building of the 19th century. The 1996 Church Act mandated that church buildings within the Church of Norway must accommodate at least 1/10 of the congregation, but in any case not less than 200 seats and more than 500 seats are not required. Each church has largely been regarded as an independent public institution ("self-owned"), often with its own assets and land from which it obtained ground lease. The congregation or inhabitants in the parish were responsible for the construction and maintenance of buildings, this principle was established as law at the 1024 Moster Assembly. Around 1700–1720 the crown sold some 600 churches to privates (to fund the expensive war effort), then repurchased during the next 150 years. The Church Act of 1897 confirmed that churches belong to the congregation. A number of churches belong to museums or to the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments. Most churches are surrounded by a church yard (mostly used as graveyard) with the same ownership situation as the building. Municipalities are responsible for the funding and operation of churches and adjacent land, while management and oversight are (since the 1996 Church Act) in the hands of the parish council (the congregation's elected body) and an employed executive officer. About 180 of 300 church buildings used as polling stations in 1814 remain. Demographics There are no records about the population during Middle Ages, but before the Black Death Norway had about 300,000 to 400,000 inhabitants (around 1650 the total population was again at this level), around the time of the Reformation there were less than 200,000 people living in Norway. When church building began around 1050 the total population has been estimated to around 200,000. After the Black Death a large number of settlements were abandoned and left behind deserted-farms, in the most marginal agricultural areas some 80% of farms were abandoned, several trading posts or small towns such Skien, Veøy, and Borgund (Ålesund) ceased to function as towns. In 1650 Norway had about 400,000 inhabitants (90% rural), by 1801 these numbers had doubled. By 1946 Norway's population was more than 3 million about 50% in rural areas. In the late Middle Ages the church's revenues were down to 20–25% compared to the times before the Black Death. (down from 86% in 2001), while an additional 5.6% are members of other Christian denominations. About 1600 church buildings are affiliated with the Church of Norway. and is organised in 35 congregations with their own churches. where Christianity was made law of the land (around 1024). Unlike Norway's Scandinavian neighbours, there were virtually no nobility and few resources have been allocated to the construction of palaces and manors. Instead, communities invested their joint resources in church building. Churches are therefore Norway's most important heritage with regard to the development of art, architecture and building technology. , Drammen Municipality, modern brick building (1967) Location Early churches may have been built on sites of pre-Christian worship. Prehistorical burial sites (notably burial mounds) at or near the sites of several churches, for instance at Avaldsnes, suggests continuity from pre-Christian times. In West Norway, it was also typical that churches were erected at or in connection to the largest or dominant farm in each district. Some of these may originally have been so-called "pillow" or "convenience" (private) churches for rich families or the local chief. Stone churches were more common in cities, along the outer coast, in rich agricultural areas in East Norway and Trøndelag, and in regional centres in fjord districts of West Norway; while stave churches were more common in rural or sparsely populated areas. Timeline ==Materials and technique==

Church building in Norway is characterized by the widespread use of wood constructions. Only in the 20th century, the majority of churches have been built from stone, brick or concrete. The 320 stave churches existing or known around 1800 were mostly in rural or sparsely populated areas. Stone churches were more common in cities, along the outer coast, in rich agricultural areas in East Norway and Trøndelag, and in regional centres in fjord districts of West Norway. The stave church (timber frame) method of construction is believed to be older than the log technique, and the former was completely abandoned after the reformation. Stave churches Once common all over northwestern Europe, most of the surviving stave churches are in Norway. Around 1,000 (or as many as 2,000) stave churches were erected before the Reformation, of which 28 still exist. Prior to the stave technique several (perhaps hundreds) small post churches were erected. In this construction, the posts (the vertical, roof-bearing timbers) were placed directly in excavated holes and thus susceptible to decay. The stave construction instead placed the posts on a line of stones (a foundation) resulting in a durable building. Traces of post holes have been found under some of the existing stave churches. Between the Reformation and modern days, log building was so predominant that some medieval stone churches (such as Søndeled Church and Lunner Church) were enlarged by adding log-built sections. Log buildings are often covered by clapboards concealing the load-bearing structure, one exception is the uncovered logs of Bøverdal Church. After the second world war modern light timber framing technique replaced log construction for wooden churches, only two churches after the war are constructed in log. The length of trees (logs) also determined the length of walls according to Sæther. In Samnanger church, for instance, outside corners have been cut to avoid splicing logs, the result is an octagonal floor plan rather than rectangular. The cruciform constructions provided a more rigid structure and larger churches, but the view to the pulpit and altar was obstructed by interior corners for seats in the transept. The octagonal floor plan offers good visibility, as well as a rigid structure allowing a relatively wide nave to be constructed – Håkon Christie believes that this is a reason why the octagonal church design became popular during the 1700s. Leikanger Church (Herøy) was purchased by and relocated to a neighbouring parish some 80 km by boat. Some stave churches have also been relocated. Fantoft Stave Church was partly constructed from the dismantled stave church at Fortun in Luster Municipality. The previous Norddal Church was a stave church that had been relocated from Sylte across the fjord. Both wood and stone materials from older buildings were often reused. Vågå Church for instance was largely built by materials from the previous stave church on the site. Building materials and interior decorations were often reused in new churches. In 1782 some wood beams from the dismantled stave church were used in the new Norddal Church built on same site. In Norddal Church there is also an altarpiece from around 1510 and a baroque 17th century pulpit previously used in the demolished stave church. For traditional wood construction, the best quality wood was obtained by cutting the top of pine trees then letting the log accumulate resin for a couple of years. Masonry – two brick qualities visible in tower. Some 157 stone churches from the Middle Ages still exist. The early 12th century stone churches built in Norway's political and business centres implied the introduction of masonry work. Residential stone buildings are unknown until the 13th century and private masonry buildings were generally not constructed in the rural areas. Some 600 churches were erected in the 20th century, and after the second world war about two-thirds were built in concrete or brick. ==Designs==

, chancel, nave, tower resting on vestibule. Norwegian churches can be described by their floor plan or the basic layout and shape of the interior. The main types mentioned below can be used for classification, although there may be some overlap or combined designs. Only a handful new churches was built from the reformation to 1617. Catholic church buildings were used as Protestant churches after the Reformation. When church building resumed during the 1600s, a careful break from the Catholic tradition can be observed while during the 1700s a clear preference for Protestant church architecture emerged in Norway. The pulpit became the focal point of the church's inner space according to Protestant ideals where the spoken word (the sermon) should be the central act. The pulpit-altar was introduced, first in Kongsberg Church. During this period there was also a greater variety of floor plans. A few were octagonal while a small number adopted the idiosyncratic Y-shape, including Rennebu Church. Floor plan (1726) a log-built long church typical for Norwegian church building in the 18th century. The interior is decorated with rosemaling. Photo from a wedding, women on the left (in traditional costumes), men on the right, children on the gallery. Long church • The "long church" is the most common type of church in Norway and can be regarded as the prototypical or original church design. Typically it consists of a single rectangular (elongated) room known as the nave () for the congregation, while the choir () is a somewhat narrower room with a lower ceiling and attached to the main body. The long church usually includes a narthex/vestibule in a separate section, often in a somewhat lower and narrower room attached to the main body and traditionally in the eastern end of the building. The bell tower is often integrated with or rests on the vestibule, but may also rest on the roof of the main body. The porch or vestibule is often referred to as a (meaning "weapon house" or armoury). Visitors stored weapons there because of a prohibition against carrying weapons into the sanctuary, or into houses in general. The long church floor plan is found in medieval stone churches, stave churches, traditional log churches, Neo-Gothic churches, and modern churches. Haltdalen Stave Church is an example of the most basic long church design. • A few churches in Norway have a basilica design which is fairly similar to the "long church" design. Unlike the hall church or the traditional basilica design, the typical Norwegian long church does not have aisles or colonnades while the basilica does. Old Aker Church is one of the few Norwegian churches built as a traditional basilica, Steinkjer Church is an example of a modern church with a basilica layout. Muri Cruciform • Traditional Cruciform: A church may be cruciform or cross-shaped like a Greek Cross or Latin Cross. In the Greek cross floor plan transepts and nave are of approximately equal length. Churches shaped like a Greek cross may also be a type of "central church" where all parts are symmetrical around a central space or vertical axis. Old Olden Church is composed of five by squares in a symmetrical cruciform layout. The Latin cross has an elongated nave and short transepts. Many cruciform churches in Norwegian have a central tower for example Kors Church and Øksnes Church, in some other cruciform churches the tower is asymmetrical placed on the narthex or vestibule for example Ulvik Church or Oslo Cathedral. • Y-shape: The Y-shape or star-shape is a slight variation of the cruciform plan and is endemic to Norway. The Y-shape allowed better visibility to the chancel, and men and women were seated in separate arms of the Y. Several stave churches with a long church floor plan were converted to cruciform in the 17th and 18th centuries. Hedalen Stave Church, for instance, was enlarged (1699) by adding three arms leaving the original long church as the western section of the nave. Octagonal An octagonal church has an octagonal (eight-sided polygon) architectural plan. The exterior and the interior (the nave) may be shaped as eight-sided polygon with approximately equal sides or only the nave is eight-sided supplemented by choir and vestibule (or narthex) attached to the octagon. Some 70 churches in Norway have a predominant octagonal shape, among these Hospitalskirken in Trondheim is the oldest. This type of design spread from the Diocese of Nidaros to other parts of Norway. Virtually all octagonal churches in Norway are constructed as log buildings mostly covered by clapboards. A small number of churches in Norway are designed similarly, but with a different number of sides such as the hexagonal-shaped Drageid Chapel. Modern • Modern designs for churches were introduced in Norway after World War II around 1960. After the second world war the traditional long church still dominated until about 1965. After that time two other forms have gained popularity. The first is a purely rectangular (or square) floor plan where the altar is in the nave and not in a separate section such as the choir or chancel. The other is the fan or semicircle floor plans where the altar is also in the same room as the nave. During the 1990s about 80% of new churches are built with a fan-shaped (90°) or semicircle (180°) nave where the altar is centrally located in the nave itself. Stave churches west portal with archivolt. During the Middle Ages all wooden churches in Norway (about 1,000 in total) were constructed as stave churches, with only 271 masonry constructions. From the stave church period a small number of monumental buildings have survived, including important cultural heritage such as Borgund Stave Church, Urnes Stave Church and Hopperstad Stave Church. The most basic layout, the long church design with a rectangular nave and separate chancel, is found in for instance Haltdalen Stave Church. Muri in 1975 made a survey of existing "old churches" (built until the Second World War) and reported the following statistics of floor plans, but with some Baroque interior added early 18th century. • The construction of Stavanger Cathedral began according to Romanesque style (around 1100), then later enlarged in Gothic style (after 1272). • The transepts of Nidaros Cathedral. • Talgje Church (12th century, Anglo-Norman style) at Finnøy • Gjerpen church (12th century, cruciform) • Sister Churches at Gran (12th century) • The catholic Hamar Cathedral began as a Romanesque structure around 1150 • Old Sakshaug Church (about 1150), Romanesque-Norman with some Gothic arcs • Alstadhaug Church began in Anglo-Norman style around 1180, enlarged in early Gothic style 13th century Gothic Gothic style was probably introduced by Håkon Håkonssen around 1240 and the style became dominant during the 13th century until church building came to a standstill after 1300 – lesser work on the Nidaros Cathedral however continued throughout the Middle Ages. Nidaros Cathedral is the only Norwegian church building where the full array of Gothic elements, including flying buttresses, is used. Other buildings with notable Gothic elements or additions include Utstein Abbey and Stavanger Cathedral. The typical rib vault was rarely used in Norwegian medieval Gothic, church builders instead relied on various types of timber roof trusses. One exception is the octagonal apse with rib vaults in Alstadhaug Church, probably inspired by the Nidaros octagon. The great St Magnus Cathedral on Orkney was built during the Norse period when Orkney was under the Archbishop of Nidaros. The soapstone portal in Dale Church (Luster) in English Gothic style is the most "magnificent" in any rural church according to Østby. Christie also made Årdal Church (Vestland), Hauge Church (in Lærdal Municipality) and Stedje Church (in Sogndal Municipality) churches according to the same design. In the younger Hol Church (Buskerud county) structural features and details are also related to stave churches. The new Veøy Church from 1907 were built in "dragestil" and stave church inspiration, with a basilica-type floorplan. Lillestrøm Church was erected 1935 in classical basilica layout, with a stand-alone square tower and square interior columns. Size Nidaros Cathedral is the only great, Gothic cathedral in Norway, and it is also the largest medieval church in Scandinavia, 102 m long, 50 m wide and 21 m from floor to ceiling inside. Kongsberg Church with an original 2400 seats on 1000 m2 is regarded as the largest church building in Norway, now seating is limited to 1100. The Kongsberg Silver Mines made Kongsberg one of the largest and most important towns in Norway during the 17th and 18th centuries. Røros Church seats about 1600 people and is also one of the largest in Norway, and like Kongsberg Church was built in an important mining town. Kongsberg and Røros Churches are the most monumental church buildings from the 18th century according to Østby. Lyngdal Church (Vest-Agder) is one of the largest rural churches with some 1600 seats. While "cathedral" () merely refers to the function or status of the church, not the design, style or size of the building, some churches in Norway are nicknamed "cathedral" or "dom" because of their size or prominence, for instance "Gudbrandsdalsdomen", "Lofotkatedralen", "Sognedomen" and Slidredomen. Undredal Stave Church and Hopperstad Stave Church are among the smallest with seats for around 30 or 40 visitors. The orthodox Saint George Chapel in Neiden is about 10 m2 and possibly the smallest church building in Norway. According to Lorentz Dietrichson the first stave churches were relatively small, possibly because of the construction technique. Dietrichson identifies "Møre type" stave churches (subgroup of type A single nave) as the youngest as well as the largest among stave churches. He calculated the area of 79 churches and found that the disappeared or destroyed stave churches in Hjørundfjord, Volda and Norddal were more than 3000 square feet, about three times larger than for instance the existing Urnes and Hopperstad churches. Saint Svithun Church in Stavanger is the largest catholic church in Norway with some 500 seats. The 1851 Church Act mandated that each church should accommodate at least 30% of the residents in the parish. The 623 churches from the late 1800s are thus relatively large. Ornaments interior decorations Depicted by Harriet Backer (1909) The stave churches are noted for their elaborate wood carvings, particularly in doors and portals that are the main decorative elements. These carvings reflect international influences connected with the craftsmen's will and ability to exploit the wooden material. The old door at Urnes Stave Church reflects Viking tradition, later doors show influence from stone architecture. The original animal motives subsequently gave way to plant motives. Romanesque stone churches include decorations showing lions, snakes, dragons and other imaginative creatures – the actual meaning of these is lost. Other examples of medieval murals or frescoes include Øyestad Church in Arendal, Alstadhaug Church and St Mary's Church, Bergen. Medieval figurative paintings older than the tole painting style exist in Torpo Stave Church. 14th century paintings from the dismantled Ål Stave Church in the University of Oslo museum. The "Dragon Style" that emerged in the 19th century was partly inspired by stave church style and ornaments, and the public interest in the efforts to save the few remaining stave churches. Ship models, including models of warships such as in Dolstad Church, has been used as decoration inside churches. This tradition was possibly adopted from Denmark or Northern Germany. These ship models were referred to as votive ships or simply as church ships ("church ship" is also the name Norwegian name for the nave of a church). Wood carving is still used as a decorative technique, for instance, the new organ in Nordberg Church (Skjåk) is decorated in painted wood carvings. ==Gallery==

Medieval Post-reformation After World War II During this period, modern materials and techniques such as reinforced concrete were introduced. While initially retaining a traditional layout, subsequently modern designs became widespread. ==See also==