Kviteseid gamle kirke

Kviteseid gamle kirke

Kviteseid gamle kirke (also Kviteseid gamle kyrkje ) is a 13th-century church, which was probably completed around 1260. It is located on the territory of the municipality of Kviteseid in the Norwegian province ( Fylke ) Vestfold og Telemark next to Kviteseid bygdetun on Kviteseidvatnet . It may have been dedicated to St. Olav , but there is no evidence for this.

History and building history

Entrance to the church

The church has a rectangular nave with a narrower and lower choir with a semicircular apse . It offers seats for around 200 visitors. The entrance to the nave is via the south portal, which is flanked by two half-columns and spanned by an inserted wooden arch with a carved dragon motif. A dendrochronological examination of the annual rings of the built-up wood suggests that the church was built in 1260. In the 18th century the church received a veranda in front of the south portal. The roof turret dates from the 19th century. In 1915 a new church was built in the village of Kviteseid and the old church was taken out of service.

The church was extensively renovated in 1929 and 1969.

Furnishing

Choir

In the choir, crosses from the 13th century and frescoes of animals, ships and soldiers as well as inscriptions, probably from the 16th and 17th centuries, have been exposed. In the years 1713 to 1714 Thomas Blixius decorated the ceiling in the choir with ornaments made of leaves and the sides with flower vines.

Baptismal font and altar

Altar of the church

The 17th century baptismal font is in the shape of an hourglass and is made of wood with carved ornaments. The altarpiece dates from 1777 and shows the Last Supper and the Crucifixion, and is flanked by two pairs of Corinthian columns. On the west and north walls of the nave are a series of pictures with kings painted in the mid-18th century.

Tear stone

In a room in the wall of the choir there is a smooth and round stone, a so-called "St. Olav's bread" - "tear stone". There are various legends about it. Two of the legends tell the following:

“The stone was made in Denmark by an evil count who forced his Norwegian maid to bake bread on the feast day on which St. Olav died. A day that was sacred to all Norwegians. However, she threatened that she would not believe in St. Olav if this crime was not avenged. It was then that the bread she had in the oven turned to stone. The stones are scattered in different places. "

“The" tear stone "or bread stone is said to be a sacred stone, a relic from pagan times that was revered. The stone was once on a dresser in the rectory, from which it fell and hit a little boy and died. The boy was embalmed and is supposed to lie under the altar in the church. "

Others

Kviteseid kirke

Several former pastors are buried under the floor of the church. Among other things, the provost Peder Povelsson Paus (1590–1653), who was pastor in Kviteseid from 1633–1653 and is buried at the head of the choir. For more than two hundred years from 1653 onwards, a Latin poem in memory of Pastor Paus, written by his son Povel Pedersson Paus, hung in the church. The original is now in the manuscript collection of the National Library.

Web links

Commons : Kviteseid gamle kirke  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ^ Kulturminnesøk: Kulturminnesøk. Retrieved July 15, 2020 (Bokmål in Norwegian). 
2. ↑ Kirkesøk - Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved July 15, 2020 (Norwegian). 
3. ↑ Personsøk i Hanske. Retrieved July 15, 2020 (Norwegian). 

Coordinates: 59 ° 21 ′ 18.3 "  N , 8 ° 31 ′ 26.6"  E