Volda Church


Volda Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Volda Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the village of Volda, along the northeastern shore of the Voldsfjorden. It is the church for the Volda parish as well as the seat of the Søre Sunnmøre prosti in the Diocese of Møre. The large stone church was built in a long church style in 1932 by the architect Arnstein Arneberg. The church seats about 800 people.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to 1338, but the church existed before that time, likely being built in the 1200s. The oldest known building on the site was a stave church. In the 1500s, a large addition was added to the south and then later in 1551, a large addition to the north was added, making the church a cruciform design. In the 1820s the church was expanded by constructing a second level gallery for seating. The church was still too small, so in 1858, the building was partially torn down with only the sacristy and choir of the old church remaining. The church was rebuilt the same year with a new timber-framed cruciform design. The new church had a tower on the west end. On 7 April 1929, the church burned down. A new, large, stone church was built on the same site. It was constructed from 1930-1931 and it was consecrated on 1 May 1932 by the Bishop Andreas Fleischer.

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