Olden Old Church, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
This beautiful and rustic interior is the original house of worship in the village of Olden, Sogn og Fjordane, in the north of Norway. I find this beautiful and so evocative of the history and culture of Norway so I just had to share it. The raw planking of blond wood, simple balustrades, rudimentary pews and the old portraits above the doorway are absolutely the essence of 18th century Scandinavia. This photo was taken from the altar.
The aspects of folk life in Norway in this period have fascinated me since I was first exposed to them on a trip to Oslo in 2009. A church like this one would have been the spiritual and community center of a small town like Olden, which even today has a population just under 500. This is a cruciform church, very simple in design yet functional. It was completed in 1759 and remained the only church in the area until the 1930s when the “New” Olden Church was constructed.
Epic Norway Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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