Old Sakshaug Church


Old Sakshaug Church is a preserved, former parish church of the Church of Norway in Inderøy municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Sakshaug, just west of the municipal centre of Straumen. It is the former main church for the Inderøy parish which is part of the Stiklestad prosti in the Diocese of Nidaros.

History

The stone church was built in a long church style during the 12th century on the basis of designs by an unknown architect.
The medieval church is one of the oldest churches in Trøndelag, dating back to about 1150-1160.
The choir was modernized with Gothic details in the early 1200s. At the end of the 18th century, an inscription was found that told church inauguration in 1184. The church was consecrated in 1184 by Eysteinn Erlendsson, Archbishop of the Diocese of Nidaros.
The walls are built of limestone and the church is reinforced with supporting walls on the south side. It is Romanesque in design and has rounded portals to the south, west and north. The arch of the north gate is decorated with chevrones. The choir area is early Gothic in design.
The church once had a west tower, but it had to be demolished in the Middle Ages. The pulpit is of wood and from 1646 and was carved by Trøndelag-based artist and craftsman Johan Johansen, bilthugger and painted by Johan Hanssønn, kontrafeier. The baroque altarpiece dates back to 1692.
The church was decommissioned in 1871 when the new Sakshaug Church was consecrated. The roof, tower, decor and other woodwork were removed. The walls were left behind. The ownership of the church was transferred to the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments in 1873 and was renovated from 1910 to 1958 after having been without a roof and the interior since 1873.
It has been suggested that the carving of a woman is one of three alleged examples of sheela na gig in Norway, the others being at Trondheim and Stiklestad; but the Sakshaug carving is "somewhat suspect as it appears to be more of a pine cone than sheela na gig."

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