Church building in Norway began when Christianity was established there around the year 1000. The first buildings may have been post churches erected in the 10th or 11th century, but the evidence is inconclusive. For instance under Urnes Stave Church and Lom Stave Church there are traces of older post churches. Post churches were later replaced by the more durable stave churches. About 1,300 churches were built during the 12th and 13th centuries in what was Norway's first building boom. A total of about 3,000 churches have been built in Norway, although nearly half of them have perished. From 1620 systematic records and accounts were kept although sources prior to 1620 are fragmented. Evidence about early and medieval churches is partly archaeological. The "long church" is the most common type of church in Norway. There are about 1620 buildings recognized as churches affiliated with the Church of Norway. In addition, there are a number of gospel halls belonging to the lay movement affiliated with the Church of Norway (not regarded as church buildings) as well as churches belonging to other Christian bodies. Until the 20th century, most churches were built from wood. 220 buildings are protected by law, and an additional 765 are listed as valuable cultural heritage.
Context
Institutional From early Christian times, a clerical administrative subdivision was established. For instance, in Hordaland there were subdivisions as one fourth ("fjordung" or "fjerding") or one eighth ("åttung") of a county, each with its own main church. For instance Old Sakshaug Church was the main church for one of the four districts of Inntrøndelag.
Church building has been influenced by the role of the State or the Crown. The Reformation in Norway was accomplished by force in 1537 when Christian III of Denmark and Norway declared Lutheranism as the official religion of Norway and Denmark. The Crown then took over church property, while some churches were plundered and abandoned. After the reformation bishops were appointed by the king, while after the introduction of absolute monarchy in 1660 all clerics were civil servants appointed by the Danish king. When a liberal constitution was introduced after independence from Denmark in 1814, the Lutheran church was recognized as the State Church.1814 Constitution Original document translated into English on Wikisource The ban on Catholicism within Norway was lifted in 1843, while the ban on monastic orders were formally lifted in 1897.Sverdrup-Thygesen, Ulrik (2009): Grunnlovens forbud mot jesuitter og munkeordener. Religionsfrihet og grunnlovskonservatisme 1814–1956. Master Thesis, University of Oslo.Store norske leksikon: "Religionsfrihet". Retrieved 19 October 2013. After the 1814 events, Norway was no longer under Danish rule and instead entered into a personal union with Sweden. A civil administration and national institutions were subsequently established within present day Norway.
The Church of Norway is organized in 11 dioceses plus one presiding bishop. A cathedral () is the seat of a bishop, and "domkirke" (or merely "dom") refers to the function or status of the church, not the design, style or size of the building. Some churches in Norway are nicknamed cathedral or "dom" because of their size or architectural significance. The catholic church in Norway is organized in three dioceses, each with their own cathedral.
The 1851 Church Act mandated that each church should accommodate at least 30% of the residents in the parish.Kirkebyggdatabasen (Church Buildings Database) accessed 21.02.13. The 623 churches from the late 1800s are thus relatively large. In the 19th century, a large number of churches were built according to basic prototypes compiled by architect Jacob Wilhelm Nordan, for instance Gjøvik Church. About 100 churches were erected according to Nordan's drawings, more than by any other architect in Norway.Norsk biografisk leksikon: "Jacob Wilhelm Nordan". Retrieved 19 September 2013. The same drawings were often used for more than one church. Drawings for Nes church in Hallingdal compiled by Georg Andreas Bull, were later used to construct Frosta Church. Architects Linstow and Grosch left their mark on the young capital Christiania as well as church building of the 19th century. The 1996 Church Act mandated that church buildings within the Church of Norway must accommodate at least 1/10 of the congregation, but in any case not less than 200 seats and more than 500 seats are not required.Kirkeloven (Church Act), 7 June 1996, nr 31, § 21, Online at Lovdata. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
Each church has largely been regarded as an independent public institution ("self-owned"), often with its own assets and land from which it obtained ground lease. The congregation or inhabitants in the parish were responsible for the construction and maintenance of buildings, this principle was established as law at the 1024 Moster Assembly.NOU 2006: 2: Staten og Den norske kirke [The State and the Church of Norway]. Utredning fra Stat – kirke-utvalget oppnevnt ved kongelig resolusjon av 14. mars 2003. (Official report to the Minister of Culture available online). Around 1700–1720 the crown sold some 600 churches to privates (to fund the expensive war effort), then repurchased during the next 150 years. The Church Act of 1897 confirmed that churches belong to the congregation. A number of churches belong to museums or to the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments. Most churches are surrounded by a church yard (mostly used as graveyard) with the same ownership situation as the building. Municipalities are responsible for the funding and operation of churches and adjacent land, while management and oversight are (since the 1996 Church Act) in the hands of the parish council (the congregation's elected body) and an employed executive officer. While the Church of Norway is a branch of the national government, the state itself does not generally own church buildings. Exceptions include the church at Akershus Fortress and Svalbard Church. Nidaros Cathedral may also be regarded as property of the Norwegian government because the cathedral restoration works since 1869 has obtained substantial funds through the state budget.
All cultural artifacts older than 1537 (the Reformation) and all buildings older than 1650 are automatically protected by law. Protection status does not alter ownership status.
Elections for the Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll were done in churches throughout the country (after a forceful speech by the priest).1814 – våre første nasjonale valg Arkivverket (National Archives). Retrieved 22 February 2014. About 180 of 300 church buildings used as polling stations in 1814 remain.Feiring av kirkene som arena Arkivverket. Retrieved 22 February 2014
Demographics There are no records about the population during Middle Ages, but before the Black Death Norway had about 300,000 to 400,000 inhabitants (around 1650 the total population was again at this level), around the time of the Reformation there were less than 200,000 people living in Norway. When church building began around 1050 the total population has been estimated to around 200,000.Aftenposten "Straks er vi fem millioner", published 12 February 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2013. After the Black Death a large number of settlements were abandoned and left behind deserted-farms, in the most marginal agricultural areas some 80% of farms were abandoned, several trading posts or small towns such Skien, Veøy, and Borgund (Ålesund) ceased to function as towns.Bjørkvik, Harald: Folketap og sammenbrudd 1350–1520. Aschehougs Norgeshistorie. Oslo, 1996. In 1650 Norway had about 400,000 inhabitants (90% rural), by 1801 these numbers had doubled. By 1946 Norway's population was more than 3 million about 50% in rural areas.Statistics Norway Historical Statistics. Retrieved 24 September 2013. In the late Middle Ages the church's revenues were down to 20–25% compared to the times before the Black Death.
As of 2012, 76% of Norway's inhabitants are members of the Church of Norway (down from 86% in 2001), while an additional 5.6% are members of other Christian denominations.Statistics Norway, Religious communities. Retrieved 21 September 2013. About 1600 church buildings are affiliated with the Church of Norway. The Catholic church of Norway has about 100,000 members (2012 numbers)Statistics Norway "Religious communities and life stance communities, 1 January 2012". Retrieved 26 September 2013. and is organised in 35 congregations with their own churches.
Unlike Norway's Scandinavian neighbours, there were virtually no nobility and few resources have been allocated to the construction of palaces and manors. Instead, communities invested their joint resources in church building. Churches are therefore Norway's most important heritage with regard to the development of art, architecture and building technology. About 250 secular medieval buildings still exist, mostly buildings related to farms.NOU 2002: 1: Fortid former framtid. Utfordringer i en ny kulturminnepolitikk. Utredning fra kulturminneutvalget oppnevnt ved kongelig resolusjon 9 April 1999. Avgitt til Miljøverndepartementet 21 December 2001 (official report to the Minister of Culture regarding cultural heritage policy).
Location Early churches may have been built on sites of pre-Christian worship. Prehistorical burial sites (notably burial mounds) at or near the sites of several churches, for instance at Avaldsnes, suggests continuity from pre-Christian times. In West Norway, it was also typical that churches were erected at or in connection to the largest or dominant farm in each district. Some of these may originally have been so-called "pillow" or "convenience" (private) churches for rich families or the local chief.Helle, Knut (ed.) (2006): Vestlandets historie. 3: Kultur. Bergen: Vigmostad & Bjørke. Stone churches were more common in cities, along the outer coast, in rich agricultural areas in East Norway and Trøndelag, and in regional centres in fjord districts of West Norway; while stave churches were more common in rural or sparsely populated areas.Anker, Peter (1997): Stavkirkene: deres egenart og historie. Cappelens kunstfaglige bibliotek. Oslo: Cappelen.
Timeline Time Events Church building 10th century State-building in West Norway. Christianity introduced, Anglo-Norwegian stone crosses erected. Possibly first churches 11th century Moster Thing (1024) accepts Christianity as the universal faith and law in Norway. Church building begins. Post churches. 12th–13th centuries Archdiocese of Nidaros (1152) established. Civil wars. Early urbanization. Church building boom. Stave church era. 1349–1350 Black Death. Population loss. Settlements abandoned. 15th–16th centuries The late medieval decline. No new churches 1536 The Protestant reformation imposed in Denmark–Norway. Churches under the crown. Catholic churches converted. Catholic art and ornaments subsequently destroyed. Some churches destroyed or decay. 17th–18th centuries Population growth. Danish king's power consolidated. Church building resumed, log building dominates. Break with catholic tradition, Protestant style emerged. 1814– Independence from Denmark. Constitution. State- and nation-building. Professional architects appear 1851–1940 Urbanization. Church Act 1851 Second building boom. Larger churches. Many ancient churches demolished. Second World War German occupation Some churches destroyed by fire or shelling Post-war Reconstruction. Urbanization continued. New materials. Break from tradition. New churches in suburbs.
Materials and technique