Hylestad Church

Hylestad Church
Hylestad kirke
View of the church
Hylestad Church Location in of the church Show map of Aust-Agder Hylestad Church Location in of the church Show map of Norway
59°05′43″N 7°32′01″E / 59.0954°N 07.5335°E / 59.0954; 07.5335Coordinates: 59°05′43″N 7°32′01″E / 59.0954°N 07.5335°E / 59.0954; 07.5335
Location	Valle, Aust-Agder
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Anders Thorsen Syrtveit
Style	Octagonal
Completed	1838
Specifications
Capacity	200
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Valle og Hyllestad
Deanery	Otredal prosti
Diocese	Agder og Telemark

Hylestad Church (Norwegian: Hylestad kirke) is a parish church in Valle municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of Rysstad. The church is part of the Valle og Hyllestad parish in the Otredal deanery in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The white, wooden, octagonal church was built in 1838 by Anders Thorsen Syrtveit using plans by the famous architect Hans Linstow.

The church is the third church to be built in Hylestad, although the previous churches were not built in the present location. The first was the medieval Hylestad stave church which was torn down in the 1600s, and the second one was taken down in the 1830s due to deterioration of the building. The second church was located at Bjørgum on the eastern shore of the river Otra, but the majority of the municipal residents lived on the west side, so the new (3rd) church was built on the west side, just alongside the local post road, now Norwegian National Road 9. The present church seats about 200 people.

View of the church (c. 1885)

Side view of the church

Exterior view of the church

Hylestad cemetery

Altar inside the church