Jondal Church

Historie

Jondal Church is a parish church in Jondal municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Jondal, near the shore of the Hardangerfjorden. The church is part of the Jondal parish in the Hardanger og Voss deanery in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. Seating about 700 people, it is the largest church in Hardanger, leading it to sometimes be called the Hardanger Cathedral.HistoryThe first church in Jondal was a stave church that was built during the Middle Ages. The exact date of construction is not known, but historical records show that it was in use in 1309, so it must have been built sometime before that time. The old stave church was in use for centuries until it was torn down in 1725 because it was in such poor condition.A new church was built on the same site to replace the old church. This church was completed in 1726 and it was a timber framed church. That church was used until 1888 when it too was torn down to make room for the present church which is much larger. The present church was built in 1888 by the architects Solheim and Tengesdal. The white, wooden church was consecrated on 18 July 1888.