Voss Church

Voss Church
Voss kyrkje / Vangskyrkja
View of the church
Voss Church Location in Hordaland county Show map of Hordaland Voss Church Location in Hordaland county Show map of Norway
60°37′43″N 6°24′54″E / 60.6287°N 6.4151°E / 60.6287; 6.4151Coordinates: 60°37′43″N 6°24′54″E / 60.6287°N 6.4151°E / 60.6287; 6.4151
Location	Voss, Hordaland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Completed	1270s
Specifications
Capacity	500
Materials	Stone
Administration
Parish	Voss
Deanery	Hardanger og Voss prosti
Diocese	Diocese of Bjørgvin

Voss Church (Norwegian: Voss kyrkje or Vangskyrkja) is a parish church in Voss municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Vossevangen. The church is part of the Voss parish in the Hardanger og Voss deanery in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The stone church was built in 1277 and it seats about 500 people.

The site of the present church may once have been occupied by a heathen temple. In 1023, King Olaf Haraldsen visited Vossevangen to convert the people to Christianity. Tradition says that he built a large stone cross at the site, which was probably the first Christian place of worship at Voss and it became the main church for Hordafylket during the Middle Ages. The first church here was built of wood, but it was replaced by a stone church in 1277. In a royal letter dating from 1271, King Magnus Lagabøte expressed his satisfaction that the parishioners were going to replace the wood building with a stone one, and he urged the continuation and completion of the task. When it was finished in 1277, the church was dedicated to Saint Michael. Restoration work was carried out on the church between 1919 and 1953 by Georg Greve.

Interior of Voss Church

Voss Church organ

Voss Church pulpit

Voss Church ceiling