Country Norway Churchmanship Evangelical Lutheran Completed 1150-1200 | Denomination Church of Norway Functional status Active Status Parish church | |
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Location Flora Municipality,
Sogn og Fjordane Diocese Lutheran Diocese of Bjørgvin Similar Bø Church, Høyanger Church, Stavang Church, Holmedal Church, Ortnevik Church | ||
Kinn Church (Norwegian: Kinn kyrkje) is a parish church in Flora Municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located on the small island of Kinn. The church is part of the Kinn parish in the Sunnfjord deanery in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, stone church was built in the second part of the 12th century. It is the oldest and the only one of its kind in the Sunnfjord region, and it is one of the most impressive medieval monuments in Western Norway. It was the main church in the parish of Kinn until 1882, when the new Florø Church was built in the newly founded city of Florø.
Building
Currently, Kinn Church is used only during the summer months. The church itself is built in a Romanesque style with Roman-arched windows and doors. The municipality of Kinn bought the church in 1866, and in 1868-1869, major repair work was carried out. Another restoration was carried out in 1911-1912. The most recent restoration work was completed in the late 1960s.
The "lectorium" constitutes the oldest part of the church. Research has shown that it most likely was built in the mid-13th century, and the wooden reliefs have been carved by artists at the royal court in Bergen at the time of Håkon Håkonson. It is considered to be one of the finest gems from Norwegian medieval art.
The altar in the chancel is made of soapstone, and in the stone slab on top there is a small hole covered with a marble lid. This is where the holy objects and relics were hidden. The three saint figures in the triptych on the south wall in the chancel are made in the Netherlands, perhaps a gift to the church in the early 16th century. At Kinn, these figures have been renamed Ingebjørg, Borni, and Sunniva, all linked to local legends. The altarpiece was built in 1644, probably by Peter Negelsen who made altarpieces and other religious objects of art for many churches in this country.