Vangen Church (Aurland)

Vangen Church (Norwegian: Vangen kyrkje) is the main parish church in Aurland Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Aurlandsvangen, at the end of the Aurlandsfjorden. It is the church for the Vangen parish which is part of the Sogn prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, stone church was built in a long church design and in early Gothic style around the year 1202. The church seats about 270 people.[1][2]

Vangen Church
Vangen kyrkje
View of the church
Vangen Church
Location of the church
Vangen Church
Vangen Church (Norway)
60.9059°N 7.1880°E / 60.9059; 7.1880
LocationAurland Municipality,
Vestland
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
Previous denominationCatholic Church
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
Founded1202
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Unknown
Architectural typeLong church
StyleGothic style
Completed1202
Specifications
Capacity270
MaterialsStone
Administration
ParishVangen
DeanerySogn prosti
DioceseBjørgvin
TypeChurch
StatusAutomatically protected
ID83816

Vangen Church is the largest of the seven medieval stone churches in the Sogn og Fjordane region, leading it to be called the Sognedomen or Sogn Cathedral.

History

The church probably built in two stages in the 13th century. There is a foundation stone in the church on which the date 2 May 1202 is inscribed. A local historian, Anders Ohnstad, has stated that King Sverre had local ties to Aurland and he died in March 1202, so the church may have been constructed on his orders.[3]

The church has a rectangular nave and a smaller, narrower choir. It does not have a sacristy, porch, or tower. The stone walls of the church are all 6 metres (20 ft) high and are also about 1.3 to 1.6 metres (4 ft 3 in to 5 ft 3 in) thick. The ceiling of the church reaches 18 metres (59 ft) high at the highest point. The church has a hexagonal pulpit from the early 17th century. It is decorated with painted tulips, brass ornaments, and pilasters in green, yellow and red against a pale yellow background. The church was restored both in 1861-1862 and again in 1926.[3][4]

  • Exterior view of the main entrance
  • Free-standing bell tower near the church
  • Interior view of the seating area
  • Interior front view

See also

References
  1. "Vangen kyrkje, Aurland". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  3. Djupedal, Torkjell; Vengen, Sigurd; Gjerde, Anders. "Vangen kyrkje" (in Norwegian). Fylkesarkivet. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  4. "Aurland kyrkjestad - Vangen" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2020-01-19.
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