Førde Church


Førde Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the town of Førde. It is the church for the Førde parish which is part of the Sunnfjord prosti in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1885 using designs by the architect Jacob Wilhelm Nordan. The church seats about 475 people.

Building

Førde Church sits on a small hill overlooking the river Jølstra, about to the west. In the spring of 1780 during an ice storm, the river broke through its shores and changed its course, so since then, the river has flowed almost to the west instead. The church is long, the nave measuring, and wide. To the east, there is a pentagonal chancel with vestries on each side. The porch to the west is a quadrangle that is, and it has a base for a high steeple. The church has a large gallery, where an organ was installed when the church was new.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1327, but the church was not new at that time. That church was likely a stave church and it stood until around 1620-1625 when a new church was built adjacent to it. When the new timber-framed church was completed, the old church was torn down. In 1838, the church was once again torn down and replaced by a small timber-framed long church. This church, however, was not long lasting. It too was torn down in 1885 when the present church was built on the same site. The new church was consecrated on 1 October 1885 by the Bishop Fredrik Waldemar Hvoslef.

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