Location Eid,
Sogn og Fjordane Denomination Church of Norway Consecrated 4 Dec 1864 Address 6777 Stårheim, Norway Capacity 350 Architect Christian Heinrich Grosch | Country Norway Churchmanship Evangelical Lutheran Functional status Active Opened 1864 Status Parish church | |
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Diocese Lutheran Diocese of Bjørgvin Similar Heggjabygda Church, Kjølsdalen Church, Svelgen Chapel, Oppstryn Church, Rugsund Church | ||
Stårheim Church (Norwegian: Stårheim kyrkje) is a parish church in Eid Municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located in the village of Stårheim. The church is part of the Stårheim parish in the Nordfjord deanery in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden church was built in 1864 by the architect Christian Heinrich Grosch. The church seats about 350 people.
History
Stårheim has been the site of a church for almost a thousand years. The first (known) church at Stårheim was built in the 12th century and it was in use until 1338. Not much is known about the church, but in 1338 Erling Vidkunsson wrote a letter to Bishop Haakon in Bergen that some robbers had broken into the church and set it on fire. A second church was built to replace the one that burned. This church was a stave church and it was used until approximately 1600. A new (third) church was built around 1600 to replace the old church. It was a timber/log church that was used until a large fire on 10 January 1859 heavily damaged the structure. The fourth (and present) church was completed soon after in 1864.