Askvoll Church

Askvoll Church (Norwegian: Askvoll kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Askvoll Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Askvoll. It is one of several churches for the Askvoll parish which is part of the Sunnfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1863 using designs by Anders Askevold. The church seats about 425 people.[1][2]

Askvoll Church
Askvoll kyrkje
View of the church
Askvoll Church Location of the church Askvoll Church Askvoll Church (Norway)
61.3481°N 5.0700°E
Location	Askvoll Municipality, Vestland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	13th century
Consecrated	13 December 1863
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Anders Askevold
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	1863
Specifications
Capacity	425
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Askvoll
Deanery	Sunnfjord prosti
Diocese	Bjørgvin

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1306, but the church was not new at that time. The first church was a stave church. The next church was built in 1604 and it was a wooden church that was in use until 1859 when it was torn down. The third church was built in 1860 and it was a cruciform church which was struck by lightning and burned down a mere three years after it was built. The fourth (and present) church was built in 1863 and it was consecrated on 13 December 1863 by the local dean Johan Carl Christie.[3][4]

Steeple

The present church was built in 1863 and public opinion about its look was not particularly positive. In his "Remembrance protocol" the pastor, Bernt Askevold, put it like this: "The new church was built with a simple steeple which rose only a few feet above the roof ridge and with a big wooden cross at the other end of the ridge. But people have never liked the simple shape of the church steeple."

The main objection of the critics, then, was that the wooden cross was meant to serve as a steeple on the church, and, after some 30 years, in 1896, it was replaced by a "proper" steeple. This new steeple was much higher and pointed, and people thought this gave the whole building a somewhat prouder character. The artist Anders Askevold from Askvoll had designed the church with the steeple that people objected so much to. The new steeple was erected based on the design by the master builder P. Gabrielsen, but Askevold was asked for advice beforehand. The latter then made some suggestions what should be done. They used Dale Church in neighboring Fjaler municipality as a model for the new steeple. This new steeple eventually put an end to the complaints concerning the look of the church building.[3]

Media gallery

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See also

• List of churches in Bjørgvin

References

1. "Askvoll kyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
3. "Askvoll kyrkje" (in Norwegian). Sogn og Fjordane Fylkesarkiv. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
4. "Askvoll kyrkjestad" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2019-11-13.