Olden Old Church

Olden Old Churc was completed in 1759 and was consecrated the same year. The architect is unknown.

History

The location of Olden means that strong winds can often occur. This was also the case in 1757. Only 11 years earlier, the church owner Peder Pedersen Tonning had demolished the old stave church and built a new long church. The church was traditionally oriented east-west. When the strong south wind hit the church walls, they collapsed. It is said that two church builders had competed for the commission in 1746, and that the one who got the job had boasted about how solid the church was and how long it would stand.

When the church was to be rebuilt, they chose to build it as a tight cross church with a ground plan like a Greek cross with all arms of equal length. Like the earlier church it was oriented east-west, but the shape made it more resistant to wind. The roof rider (bell tower) is low and compact to prevent damage from wind. These measures worked, and today the church stands as the oldest in the area.

Inventory

Inside the church you are greeted by bare wood. The aisle has sturdy wooden planks and on both sides there are spacious benches with closed doors. Many of the benches are older than the church itself. This can be seen from the details carved into the doors. Some consist of the initials of the owner, some have beautiful decorations, while others contain the year they were made. The oldest of these are dated to 1662.

An interesting detail to note is that on the south side (to the right) the benches have hat racks - branches cut from young birch trees for men to hang their hats on. This is not found on the north side. This is because men and women sat segregated when the church was built.

The painted barrel-shaped pulpit is younger than the church, probably from the first half of the 19th century. Apart from this, only the altarpiece and the altar ring have been painted. The altarpiece is dated 1772 and the motif is a Last Supper scene, flanked by Moses and John. Above the main motif we find the crucifixion. At the bottom of the panel we find the text "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ, and the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?"

The Spanish Madonna figure in the northern transept was given to the church in the 1940s by the wife of the artist William Singer.

Information retrieved from SNL.