Hol Church (Nordland)

Hol Church (Norwegian: Hol kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Vestvågøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the southeastern edge of the town of Leknes on the island of Vestvågøya. It is the church for the Hol parish which is part of the Lofoten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland. The white, wooden church was built in a cruciform style in 1806 by an unknown architect. The church seats about 300 people.[1][2]

Hol Church
Hol kirke
Hol Church
Location of the church
Hol Church
Hol Church (Norway)
68.1387°N 13.6421°E / 68.1387; 13.6421
LocationVestvågøy, Nordland
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
Founded14th century
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Unknown
Architectural typeCruciform
Completed1806
Specifications
Capacity300
MaterialsWood
Administration
ParishHol
DeaneryLofoten prosti
DioceseSør-Hålogaland

History

Hol Church is the second oldest church in the island region of Lofoten, and it dates back to at least the mid-14th century. The earliest existing historical record of the church dates back to the year 1417, but the church was not new at that time. In 1666, the church was described as being in terrible condition. In 1725, the church was described as being in disrepair and in need of replacement. In 1734, a new church was completed on the same site. The new church was a "long church" without a tower and it was approximately 17 by 7 metres (56 ft × 23 ft).[3] The altarpiece is most likely the work of Gottfried Ezekiel (ca. 1719–1798). He arrived in Bergen from the Baltic Sea town of Königsberg in 1744, after he received a commission as a painter. By 1751, he arrived in northern Norway where he painted a number of altarpieces for local churches.[4]

Over time the church deteriorated and was repaired. By 1804, the church was in such bad shape that it was completely rebuilt. Some of the old materials were re-used in the new church. The newly rebuilt church was finished in 1806 and this time it was a log building in a cruciform design. Petter Svaboe from Vågan was the chief builder of the new church.[5] In 1859, the church underwent a major renovation and repair work.[3]

See also
  • List of churches in Nordland

References
  1. "Hol kirke, Leknes". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  3. "Hol kirkested" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  4. Klaudia Rajmann (2016). "Workshop of the painter Gottfried Ezekiel". EGG 2014–2015. CeROArt, EGG 5. Retrieved 2017-10-01.
  5. "Hol Kirke" (in Norwegian). Vestvågøy kirkelige fellesråd. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
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