Old Edøy Church


Old Edøy Church is a historic parish church of the Church of Norway in Smøla Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on the southwestern end of the small island of Edøya, just south of the larger island of Smøla. Prior to the construction of the new Edøy Church in 1885, it was the main church for the Edøy parish which is part of the Ytre Nordmøre prosti in the Diocese of Møre. The stone church was built in a long church style around the year 1190 by an unknown architect. The church seats about 120 people.

History

The old stone church was built around the year 1190. It has had numerous renovations over the years to enlarge it and repair it. After several hundred years of use, it was too small and old to continue as the main church for the parish, so it was decided to build a new Edøy Church. The new church would be built to the north, on the island of Smøla instead of the more isolated location of the old church on the small island of Edøya. After the new church was completed in 1885, the old church was not regularly used and in 1887 there was a fire and the church burned down. The ruins of the old church remained until after World War II, when in 1946-1947, the church was rebuilt in a historically-accurate manner by the architect John Tverdahl. It is now protected as a historic site.