Mo Church (Vestland)


Mo Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Modalen Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Mo. It is the church for the Mo parish which is part of the Nordhordland prosti in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden, neo-gothic church was built in a long church style in 1883 using designs by the architect Johannes Øvsthus. The church seats about 220 people.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1360, but it was likely built in the second half of the 12th century. The first church was a stave church. In 1593, the old church was torn down and replaced with a timber-framed building on the same site. This new church was a small tar-covered wooden church with a tower that seated about 130 people. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the church was remodeled and renovated several times, with an especially large addition to the east in 1831. In 1883, a new church was built just to the south of the old church and when it was completed, the old church was torn down and its materials were sold. Some of the items used in the old church were kept such as the altarpiece, baptismal font, candlesticks, as well as some old Bibles. The new church cost and it was consecrated on 11 July 1883.
Historically, this church was an annex chapel that belonged to the Hamre prestegjeld until 1749. From 1749 until 1967 it was part of the Hosanger prestegjeld, being upgraded to the status of church at some point. In 1967, the church became part of the Østereidet prestegjeld, based in Lindås municipality. Since 2004, the church has been the only church in the Mo parish which includes the whole municipality of Modalen.

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