Hove Church

Hove Church
Hove kyrkje
Hove Church overlooking Vikøyri on the Arnafjord
Hove Church Location in Sogn og Fjordane county Show map of Sogn og Fjordane Hove Church Location in Sogn og Fjordane county Show map of Norway
61°04′18″N 6°35′02″E / 61.0716°N 6.5840°E / 61.0716; 6.5840Coordinates: 61°04′18″N 6°35′02″E / 61.0716°N 6.5840°E / 61.0716; 6.5840
Location	Vik Municipality, Sogn og Fjordane
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Completed	c. 1170
Specifications
Capacity	35
Materials	Stone
Administration
Parish	Vik
Deanery	Indre Sogn prosti
Diocese	Diocese of Bjørgvin

Hove Church (Norwegian: Hove kyrkje) is a historic parish church in Vik Municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located in the village of Vikøyri on the Arnafjord, an arm of Sognefjord. The old parish of Hove (together with Hopperstad) was abolished in 1875, and replaced by the new, united, Vik parish. The church and parish of Vik is a part of Indre Sogn deanery in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The stone church was built around the year 1170. Historians believe it was built for a wealthy man who belonged to the very upper echelon within the Norwegian aristocracy. They say he had built this as a private chapel with seating for only about 35 people.

Architect Peter Andreas Blix (1831– 1901) bought the church in 1880 and restored the church between 1883-1888. Blix's goal was to finish the stone church to its original conditions. Soapstone for repairing the walls were brought from the old soapstone quarry in the municipality. Just as when he renovated the nearby Hopperstad Stave Church, Blix removed all the fixtures that were not from the Middle Ages. On the exterior Blix built up a large stone tower on the old base of the tower (it had been a wooden tower from 1600 until the 1880s). It is uncertain whether the church had a wood or a stone tower originally. Blix died in 1901 and he is buried under the floor of the church. He owned the church until his death, and bequeathed it to his brother who then gave it to the state.

The church is still owned by the state, and it is administered by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments. It is no longer regularly used by the parish, but it can be used for special occasions such as weddings or funerals.