Ulstein Church


Ulstein Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ulstein Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the town of Ulsteinvik on the western side of the island of Hareidlandet. It is the church for the Ulstein parish which is part of the Søre Sunnmøre prosti in the Diocese of Møre. The white, wooden church was built in an octagonal style in 1849 by the architect Hans Nicolai Wraamann, the local parish priest. The church seats about 400 people. Originally, the church was built about north of Ulsteinvik, but in 1878 it was taken down and moved into Ulsteinvik.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to 1432, but the medieval stone church was likely built in the 12th century. The church was originally located a little north of Ulsteinvik. The old medieval church was made of stone and whitewashed on the inside and outside, measuring approximately for the main hall of the church. Throughout the centuries the building was expanded and remodeled. In 1660, an extension of the building to the south and a new entrance to the north was constructed. Lightning struck the church tower on 30 October 1847 and the building was heavily damaged beyond repair. The church was completely demolished and a new church was built to the west to the old site. The new church was a timber-framed building that was built in an octagonal design. In 1878, the church building was disassembled and moved into the nearby town of Ulsteinvik to be closer to the main population centre of the parish.