Sandnes Church (Agder)


Sandnes Church is a parish church in Bygland municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of Åraksbø on the east side of the Åraksfjorden. The church is part of the Bygland parish in the Otredal deanery in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The white, octagonal, wooden church was built in 1844 by the architect Anders Thorsen Syrtveit who used plans drawn up by the famous architect Hans Linstow. The church seats about 200 people.

History

The church was originally built on the shore of the Byglandsfjorden in the village of Sandnes, but in 1935 it was moved from Sandnes to the more populous village of Åraksbø, about to the north. The move had been contemplated for over 40 years since Åraksbø is where almost all the residents of the parish lived. This was a practical move, but it was also controversial. When the newly reconstructed church was re-consecrated in October 1935 by the Bishop, no one from Frøysnes and Sandnes came to the service as a way of protesting the move. As a way of smoothing things over, a small chapel was built on the site in Sandnes where the church once stood. The chapel was completed in 1940.