Eidskog Church (Norwegian: Eidskog kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Eidskog Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Matrand. It is one of the churches for the Eidskog parish which is part of the Solør, Vinger og Odal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar. The white, wooden church was built in a cruciform design in 1665 using plans drawn up by the architect Knut Mortensen. The church seats about 350 people.[1][2]

Eidskog Church
Eidskog kirke
View of the church
Map
60°01′48″N 12°07′31″E / 60.0300477486°N 12.12515974056°E / 60.0300477486; 12.12515974056
LocationEidskog Municipality,
Innlandet
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
Previous denominationCatholic Church
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
Founded11th century
Consecrated1665
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Knut Mortensen
Architectural typeCruciform
Completed1665 (359 years ago) (1665)
Specifications
Capacity350
MaterialsWood
Administration
DioceseHamar bispedømme
DeanerySolør, Vinger og Odal prosti
ParishEidskog
TypeChurch
StatusAutomatically protected
ID84073

History

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The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1225 in the book Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar in connection with King Hákon Hákonarson's journey to Värmland in 1225. This is not the year of construction, however. The first church in Eidskog was a wooden stave church that was likely built in the late 11th century. Shortly after the Black Death swept through Norway in 1349–1350, the old Eidskog Church burned down. A new wooden stave church was constructed on the same site. This new church was much larger than its predecessor.[3][4]

In 1665, the old church was torn down and a new cruciform log building was constructed on the same site. It was designed and built by Knut Mortensen. A few years earlier, Mortensen had built the somewhat smaller Kvikne Church, and he used the same floor plan and design for this church as well. In 1861, a new tower was constructed. This somewhat skewed central tower was built by Oluf Wernersen (son of Werner Olsen). The church was originally built with no exterior siding to cover the log walls, but was later given vertical wood panels for siding. From 1814 to 1856, there were visible bullet marks in the siding after nearby skirmishes during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1856, the church siding was replaced and the roof was redone with slate tiles.[3][4]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Eidskog kirke". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Eidskog kirkested" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Eidskog kirke". Norges-Kirker.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 28 December 2021.