Old Åsane Church is a former parish church of the Church of Norway in Bergen Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the Saurås neighborhood in the borough of Åsane in the city ofBergen. It used to be the church for the Åsane parish which is part of the Åsane prosti in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, stone church was built in a long churchstyle in 1795 using designs by an unknown architect. The church seats about 240 people. The church was consecrated in 1795 by the Bishop Johan Nordahl Brun. The church was historically called Aasene kirke, but today uses the modern Norwegian spelling of Åsane kirke. The word gamle means "old". The church is no longer regularly-used since the "new" Åsane Church was built in 1993. This church is now mostly used for funerals and weddings as well as special events.
History
The first church here was built in the Middle Ages, probably in the 13th century. The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1598. The old wooden church stood there for about 500 years, before it was torn down and replaced with a new stone church in 1795. Local tradition says that the new stone church was erected around the outside of the old wooden building so that it could be used during the construction. The new church was consecrated by the Bishop Johan Nordahl Brun. The chapel served the whole Åsane peninsula which was historically a annex to the important Hamre Church nearby. In 1871, the chapel was designated as a church and it became a separate parish. Starting in the 1960s, discussions began about replacing the old church with a new, larger, more functional church for the quickly growing urban area of Åsane, but nothing was done at that point. On Christmas Eve 1992, the church was set on fire by Jørn Tunsberg and it sustained heavy damage. The church was completely rebuilt using same foundation and thick stone walls as the burned-down building. Old photographs and pictures of the church were used to make sure the replacement would be the same as before. The church building was replaced, but many historic artifacts and artwork were lost in the fire. The rebuilt church was re-consecrated on 19 November 1995 by the Bishop Ole Danbolt Hagesæther. This church was the main church of the Åsane parish until 1993 when the "new" Åsane Church was completed a short distance away.
