Tjugum Church

Tjugum Church
Tjugum kyrkje
View of the church
Tjugum Church Location in Sogn og Fjordane county Show map of Sogn og Fjordane Tjugum Church Location in Sogn og Fjordane county Show map of Norway
61°12′54″N 6°32′36″E / 61.2150°N 6.5432°E / 61.2150; 6.5432Coordinates: 61°12′54″N 6°32′36″E / 61.2150°N 6.5432°E / 61.2150; 6.5432
Location	Balestrand Municipality, Sogn og Fjordane
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Consecrated	29 October 1863
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Christian Heinrich Grosch
Style	Octagonal
Completed	1863
Specifications
Capacity	320
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Balestrand
Deanery	Indre Sogn prosti
Diocese	Diocese of Bjørgvin

Tjugum Church (Norwegian: Tjugum kyrkje) is the main parish church in Balestrand Municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located in the village of Tjugum, just north of the main village of Balestrand. The church is part of the Balestrand parish in the Indre Sogn deanery in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden, octagonal church, which has 320 seats, was built in 1863. It was consecrated on 29 October 1863 by the local Dean Thomas Erichsen. The building was designed by architect Christian Henrik Grosch.

There has been a church at Tjugum for centuries. It is not known when the original stave church was built here, but it could have been as early as the 12th century. It is known that the original church was replaced in 1610 by a timber church. The timber church from 1610 is shown in a painting from 1839 (see media gallery below). This church was part of the Leikanger parish until 1 March 1849 when the new Balestrand parish was established. Tjugum church was to be the main church for the parish, so a new, larger church was commissioned to be built. The new (present) church was completed in 1863.

Exterior of the church

View from a distance

View of the front

Another view of the exterior

View of the previous church (1839)