Odda Church


Odda Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the town of Odda. It is the church for the Odda parish which is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The off-white, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1870 using designs by the architect C. Erichsen. The church seats about 500 people.

History

The first church in Odda was a stone church that was built slightly to the north of the present site. That first church was built between the years 1250 and 1300. There may have been a wooden church on the site before that time, but that is not known. The stone church, which stood for about 600 years was torn down in 1869. A new church was built slightly to the south and the stone from the old church was used as the foundation for the new church. The church was consecrated on 4 November 1870 by the Bishop Peter Hersleb Graah Birkeland.
By the early 20th century, the graveyard surrounding the church was getting full, so a new cemetery site was chosen in 1930, at Berjaflot about to the south. In 1955, the church was renovated extensively.

Media gallery