Location Bergen, Hordaland Denomination Church of Norway Founded Before 1598 Opened 1795 Phone +47 55 36 22 50 | Country Norway Churchmanship Evangelical Lutheran Functional status Active Capacity 240 Status Parish church | |
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Address Sauråsbakken 20, 5131 Nyborg, Norway Diocese Lutheran Diocese of Bjørgvin Similar Åsane Church, Eidsvåg Church, Salhus Church, Biskopshavn Church, Birkeland Church | ||
Old Åsane Church (Norwegian: Åsane gamle kirke) is a parish church in Bergen municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. It is located in the Saurås neighborhood in the borough of Åsane in the city of Bergen. The church is part of the Åsane parish in the Arna og Åsane deanery in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white stone church was built in 1795. The church, which seats about 240 people, was consecrated in 1795 by the Bishop Johan Nordahl Brun.
The church was historically called Aasene kirke, but today uses the modern Norwegian spelling of Åsane kirke. The word gamle means "old". The church is no longer regularly-used since the "new" Åsane Church was built in 1993. This church is now mostly used for funerals and weddings as well as special events.
History
The first church here was built in the Middle Ages, probably in the 13th century. The old wooden church stood there for about 500 years, before it was torn down and replaced with a new stone church in 1795. The church served the whole Åsane peninsula which was historically a part of the parish of Hamre. Around the 1960s, discussions began about replacing the old church with a new, larger, more functional church for the quickly growing urban area of Åsane.
On Christmas Eve 1992, the church was set on fire by Varg Vikernes and Jørn Tunsberg and it sustained heavy damage. The church was completely rebuilt using same foundation and thick stone walls as the burned-down building. Old photographs and pictures of the church were used to make sure the replacement would be the same as before. The church building was replaced, but many historic artifacts and artwork were lost in the fire. The rebuilt church was re-consecrated on 19 November 1995 by the Bishop Ole Danbolt Hagesæther.
This church was the main church of the Åsane parish until 1993 when the "new" Åsane Church was completed a short distance away.