Ulnes Church

Ulnes Church
Ulnes kyrkje
View of the church
60°59′42″N9°06′49″E / 60.99510198468°N 9.1136480309948°E / 60.99510198468; 9.1136480309948 Coordinates: 60°59′42″N9°06′49″E / 60.99510198468°N 9.1136480309948°E / 60.99510198468; 9.1136480309948
Location	Nord-Aurdal, Innlandet
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Previous denomination	Catholic Church
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	c. 1265
Consecrated	c. 1265
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	c. 1265 (757 years ago) (1265)
Specifications
Capacity	170
Materials	Stone
Administration
Parish	Ulnes
Deanery	Valdres prosti
Diocese	Hamar bispedømme
Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site
Type	Church
Status	Automatically protected
ID	85720

Ulnes Church (Norwegian : Ulnes kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Nord-Aurdal Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Ulnes. It is the church for the Ulnes parish which is part of the Valdres prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar. The white, stone church was built in a long church design around the year 1265 using plans drawn up by an unknown architect. The church seats about 170 people. ^{[1] [2]}

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1307, but the church was not built that year. The long church is built of stone with masonry reflecting a transition between the Romanesque and Gothic style, both of which can be found in the church. Based on its historical style and masonry, it was probably built around the year 1265. The Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research used dendrochronology to date part of the roof construction which showed that the church was likely built in 1265 or 1266. ^{[3] [4] [5]} The roofing of another medieval church in the area, Slidre Cathedral, was also dated to 1268 using the same method. Jahn Børe Jahnsen, a conservator at Valdres Folkemuseum, has observed that it was remarkable that they are dated so close to each other. ^{[6] [7]}

The church fell into disrepair, and in 1675 there were plans to replace it with a new wooden church, but this never happened. Shortly before 1720, the church was taken out of regular use because of its condition and parishioners had to go to other churches. In a famous description from a trip in 1733-1734, Bishop Peder Hersleb described the church "as a pile of stones", with only the choir being suitable to keep. He said the nave measured about 12 by 8.8 metres (39 ft × 29 ft) and the choir measured about 6.9 by 7.6 metres (23 ft × 25 ft). In 1734 the rector wanted to close and demolish it in favor of the nearby Svenes Church, but the local people protested. Ulnes Church was rebuilt and restored shortly afterwards in 1737. The nave was demolished and completely rebuilt, somewhat larger than before. The interior of the church was also refurbished during this project and it was decorated with paintings by Ola Hermundsson Berge (1768–1825) in the late 1700s. ^[8] Additional paintings were created between 1850 and 1853 by Halvard Rye. The church was rebuilt in 1891–1894 and which included the addition of a new church porch at the west end and a sacristy on the east en. In 1953-1954, the church was renovated again by the architect Hans Magnus and the lead builder was Lars M. Wiknes. The church received a new wooden church porch and sacristy. The interior was also restored at this time. In 1977, bathroom facilities were installed in the church porch. ^{[9] [4] [5]}

Media gallery

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See also

• List of churches in Hamar

References

1. "Ulnes kyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
3. "Ulnes kirkested" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage . Retrieved 15 January 2022.
4. "Ulnes kirke". Norges-Kirker.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 15 January 2022.
5. Christie, Sigrid; Storsletten, Ola; Hoff, Anna Marte. "Ulnes kirke" (in Norwegian). Norges Kirker. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
6. Skattebu, Ingvar (29 October 2007). "Tok jubileet på forskudd". Oppland Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian).
7. "Jahn Børe Jahnsen". lokalhistoriewiki. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
8. Nils Ellingsgard. "Ola Hermundsen Berge". Norsk biografisk leksikon. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
9. "Ulnes kirke". Kunsthistorie. Retrieved 1 September 2018.

Other sources

• Jahnsen, Jahn Børe (1995). Ulnes kyrkje : 750 år 1995 – bygd midt på 1200-talet. Ulnes Sokneråd. ISBN   8299355400.