Vats Church

Vats Church (Norwegian: Vats kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Vindafjord Municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Vats at the southern end of the lake Vatsvatnet. It is the church for the Vats parish which is part of the Haugaland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger. The white, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1855 using designs by the architect Hans Linstow. The church seats about 534 people.^[1][2]

Vats Church
Vats kyrkje
View of the church (Photo: Jarle Vines)
59.493121°N 5.727891°E / 59.493121; 5.727891
Location	Vindafjord Municipality, Rogaland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	12th century
Consecrated	24 Oct 1855
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Hans Linstow
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	1855 (169 years ago) (1855)
Specifications
Capacity	534
Materials	Wood
Administration
Diocese	Stavanger bispedømme
Deanery	Haugaland prosti
Parish	Vats
Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site
Type	Church
Status	Protected
ID	85784

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1319, but the baptismal font is dated back to the 12th century, so the church was likely built around that time. The first church was a stave church located about 8 metres (26 ft) north of the present church. In 1640, the church was renovated and expanded with a new nave being built on the west side of the building and the old nave became the choir and sacristy. (Some sources say that instead of a renovation, the church was torn down and rebuilt on the same site.) In 1855, a new timber-framed church was constructed about 8 metres (26 ft) south of the old building. The new church was consecrated on 24 October 1855. After the new church was completed, the old church was torn down. In 1940, a sacristy was added to the east end of the church.^[3][4][5]

See also

• List of churches in Rogaland

References

1. "Vats kyrkje". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
3. "Vats kyrkje" (in Norwegian). Vindafjord kommune. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
4. "Vats kyrkjestad" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
5. "Vats kirke". Norges-Kirker.no (in Norwegian). 29 April 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2021.