Stødle Church

Stødle Church (Norwegian: Stødle kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Etne Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Etnesjøen. It is one of the churches for the Etne parish which is part of the Sunnhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, stone and wood church was built in a long church style in 1160 using designs by an unknown architect. The church has been renovated and expanded several times over the centuries, and it currently seats about 245 people.[1][2]

View of the church
Stødle Church
Stødle kyrkje
View of the church
Stødle Church
Location of the church
Stødle Church
Stødle Church (Norway)
59.6731°N 5.9658°E / 59.6731; 5.9658
LocationEtne, Vestland
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
Previous denominationCatholic Church
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
Foundedc. 1160
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Unknown
Architectural typeLong church
Completedc. 1160
Specifications
Capacity245
MaterialsStone and wood
Administration
ParishEtne
DeanerySunnhordland prosti
DioceseBjørgvin bispedømme
TypeChurch
StatusAutomatically protected
ID84992

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1329, but the church was likely built around the year 1160. It is believed that the church may have originally been a private church for the family of Erling Skakke, a Norwegian Jarl, who lived in Stødle during the 12th century.

For centuries it was a stone church, but since an expansion in the first half of the 1600s, a portion of the church is now wooden. The church was purchased by J.F. Tuchsen in 1723, when the King sold many churches to pay for the expenses from the Great Northern War. After several different private owners, the church was purchased by the parish in 1860 and was no longer privately owned. In 1879, a tower was added on the west end. In 1957-1958, the church underwent a major renovation.[3][4]

See also

References
  1. "Stødle kyrkje, Etne". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  3. "Kirker i Hordaland fylke" (in Norwegian). DIS-Hordaland. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  4. "Stødle kyrkjestad" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 31 May 2020.

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