Fana Church

Fana Church
Fana kirke
View of the church
Fana Church Location in Hordaland county Show map of Hordaland Fana Church Location in Hordaland county Show map of Norway
60°15′48″N 5°20′54″E / 60.263394°N 5.348389°E / 60.263394; 5.348389Coordinates: 60°15′48″N 5°20′54″E / 60.263394°N 5.348389°E / 60.263394; 5.348389
Location	Bergen, Hordaland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Completed	1153
Specifications
Capacity	450
Materials	Stone
Administration
Parish	Fana
Deanery	Fana prosti
Diocese	Diocese of Bjørgvin

Fana Church (Fana Kirke) is a parish church in Bergen municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. It is located in Fanahammeren, a village in the borough of Fana in the city of Bergen. The church is part of the Fana parish in the Fana deanery in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

The existing stone building celebrated its 850-year anniversary in 2003, but the church building history is long and complicated. Historians assert that the church has been rebuilt and enlarged several times.

Fana Church was mentioned in writings for the first time in 1228, when Pope Gregory IX released a conscription to the vicar and brothers at "the holy cross church and hospital in Fana". In the letter, it is mentioned that the bishops in Bergen had let the church be founded again: "de novo fundari". Parts of the existing church building are from the Romance époque, and the walls show signs of there having been a stone building at the site, most likely a church, before 1220. Due to this, it is believed that the core of the church was built in the second half of the 12th century.

The legend "The Holy Silver Cross" is connected to Fana church. In 1626, King Christian IV of Denmark commissioned the University of Copenhagen to register all historical objects and occurrences in Bjørgvin bishopric. Skonvig, the son of a priest, sent a letter about the legend.

Two fishermen found a silver cross outside Korsneset along Korsfjorden. They tried to get the cross on land near Milde. However, the cross was too heavy to carry, so they knew the cross was meant for Fana. When they arrived at Fanahammeren, the cross was easy to carry. They brought it to the church where it was settled at the altar. One of the fishermen was blind, but when he touched the cross and scratched his eyes he gained sight again. The story about the healing cross reached many, and pilgrims visited the church hoping to be healed. It is said that at Krykkjehaugen, a small knoll close to the church, there were crutches and canes that pilgrims had left behind after having been healed at the cross. According to the legend, the priest in Fana burned six horse-loads of crutches in 1546.