Selje Church

Selje Church (Norwegian: Selje kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Stad Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Selje. It is the church for the Selje parish which is part of the Nordfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1866 by the architect Frederik Hannibal Stockfleth. The church seats about 420 people.[1][2] The building was consecrated on 13 May 1866 by the Bishop Peter Hersleb Graah Birkeland.

Selje Church
Selje kyrkje
View of the church
Selje Church Location of the church Selje Church Selje Church (Norway)
62.0489°N 5.3483°E
Location	Stad Municipality, Vestland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Former name(s)	Sellø kirke
Status	Parish church
Founded	12th century
Consecrated	13 May 1866
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Frederik Hannibal Stockfleth
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	1866
Specifications
Capacity	420
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Selje
Deanery	Nordfjord prosti
Diocese	Bjørgvin

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to around the year 1100. Selje is an old church site. Originally, the church was located on the small island of Selja, just off the coast of the present-day village of Selje. From the 12th until the 16th century, the old Selje Abbey was a major religious center for the region. A stave church was built at Bø on the island of Selja, not far from the Abbey. This church was located on the south side of the island, and it was known as the Fylkeskyrkja (the county church). By the year 1340, the church was described by the archbishop as being in poor condition due to neglect. That church was torn down in 1654, and a replacement church was built at Hove on the mainland, just across the bay, approximately where the present church stands today.[3]

This new church was used from 1654 until 1866 when it was taken down and moved to Leikanger to become the present Leikanger Church. The old church was taken down and moved to make room for building a new, larger Selje Church which still stands today.[4][5][6]

Media gallery

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  Winter view of the church
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  View of the church with small boat houses along the shore
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  View from the southeast
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  Front of the church
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  Side view of the church
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  Close up side view of the church
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  Close up of the church
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  Interior view of altar table

See also

• List of churches in Bjørgvin

References

1. "Selje kyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
3. "Bø kyrkjestad - Kyrkjegarden Bø på Selja" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
4. "Selje kyrkje" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2013-09-09.
5. "Selje kyrkje" (in Norwegian). Sogn og Fjordane fylkeskommune: Fylkesarkivet. Retrieved 2013-09-09.
6. "Selje kirkested" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2019-09-22.