Gløshaug Church
Encyclopedia
Gløshaug Church is a parish church
in the municipality of Grong
in Nord-Trøndelag
county, Norway
. It is located in the village of Gartland
. The church is part of the Harran
parish
in the Namdal deanery
in the Diocese of Nidaros
. The wooden stave church
was constructed in 1689 and seats about 100 people.
church according to Grankvist. A manuscript from 1597 ("Gaannske Nommedalls Leens Beskriffuelse") calls the church then "Olafshougs Kirke i Hærø fierding", meaning St. Olaf's Church of Harran. St. Olaf is the patron saint of Norway. The first church building on this site was built around 1170, and it was restored in 1433 and 1510. In 1689, the old church was replaced by a new stave church
, which still stands today. St. Olaf's church was for centuries the main church for all of the people that lived in the upper inner part of Namdalen
(the old "Overhalla
" parish).
In the 1800s and 1900s, several Englishmen (some of those were noblemen) owned houses along the river at Gartland, where they lived during their stay in Grong. One was Thomas Merthyr Guest, a man of considerable wealth. He bought two Gartland farms and in 1873 the old Gløshaug Church. Grong
municipality wanted to tear down the old church and build a new church for Harran, but instead Mr. Guest restored it. The new Harran Church
was put up at Fiskum in the village of Harran
. Mr. Guest's widow sold the church in 1908 to a local farmer who in turn in 1910 gave the church to the municipality.
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the municipality of Grong
Grong
is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Medjå. Other villages in the municipality include Bergsmoen, Formofoss, Gartland, and Harran....
in Nord-Trøndelag
Nord-Trøndelag
is a county constituting the northern part of Trøndelag in Norway. As of 2010, the county had 131,555 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-least populated county. The largest municipalities are Stjørdal, Steinkjer—the county seat, Levanger, Namsos and Verdal, all with between 21,000 and...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It is located in the village of Gartland
Gartland
Gartland is a village in the municipality of Grong in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located on the northwestern side of the river Namsen about north of the municipal center, Medjå. The village sits along the main European route E6 highway and the Nordlandsbanen railway line. Directly...
. The church is part of the Harran
Harran, Norway
Harran is a parish, a village, and a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The parish and village of Harran is located in the northern part of the present-day municipality of Grong, about north of the village of Medjå, the administrative center of Grong. Harran is part of the...
parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
in the Namdal deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
in the Diocese of Nidaros
Diocese of Nidaros
Nidaros is a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Norway. It covers Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag counties and its cathedral city is Trondheim, which houses the well-known Nidaros Cathedral. The diocese is divided into 12 deaneries . Finn Wagle was the bishop from 1991 to 2008...
. The wooden stave church
Stave church
A stave church is a medieval wooden church with a post and beam construction related to timber framing. The wall frames are filled with vertical planks. The load-bearing posts have lent their name to the building technique...
was constructed in 1689 and seats about 100 people.
History
The site of Gløshaug church has been used all the way back to around 1160. It originally was a St. OlafSt. Olaf
-People:* Saint Olaf, King Olaf II of Norway* Saint Olaf of Sweden, King Olof Skötkonung-Institutions:*St. Olaf College, a private, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota*St. Olaf Choir, the a cappella choir of St. Olaf College-Places:...
church according to Grankvist. A manuscript from 1597 ("Gaannske Nommedalls Leens Beskriffuelse") calls the church then "Olafshougs Kirke i Hærø fierding", meaning St. Olaf's Church of Harran. St. Olaf is the patron saint of Norway. The first church building on this site was built around 1170, and it was restored in 1433 and 1510. In 1689, the old church was replaced by a new stave church
Stave church
A stave church is a medieval wooden church with a post and beam construction related to timber framing. The wall frames are filled with vertical planks. The load-bearing posts have lent their name to the building technique...
, which still stands today. St. Olaf's church was for centuries the main church for all of the people that lived in the upper inner part of Namdalen
Namdalen
Namdalen is a traditional district in the central part of Norway, consisting of the municipalities Namsos, Grong, Overhalla, Røyrvik, Fosnes, Nærøy, Høylandet, Namdalseid, Flatanger, Lierne, Leka, Namsskogan, and Vikna, all in Nord-Trøndelag county. The district has two towns: Kolvereid and Namsos...
(the old "Overhalla
Overhalla
Overhalla is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ranemsletta . Other villages include Melen, Skage, Skogmo, Svalia, and Øysletta.The population is concentrated in the relatively broad...
" parish).
In the 1800s and 1900s, several Englishmen (some of those were noblemen) owned houses along the river at Gartland, where they lived during their stay in Grong. One was Thomas Merthyr Guest, a man of considerable wealth. He bought two Gartland farms and in 1873 the old Gløshaug Church. Grong
Grong
is a municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Medjå. Other villages in the municipality include Bergsmoen, Formofoss, Gartland, and Harran....
municipality wanted to tear down the old church and build a new church for Harran, but instead Mr. Guest restored it. The new Harran Church
Harran Church
Harran Church is a parish church in the municipality of Grong in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Harran. The church is part of the Harran parish in the Namdal deanery in the Diocese of Nidaros. The white, wooden church building was constructed in 1874 to replace...
was put up at Fiskum in the village of Harran
Harran, Norway
Harran is a parish, a village, and a former municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The parish and village of Harran is located in the northern part of the present-day municipality of Grong, about north of the village of Medjå, the administrative center of Grong. Harran is part of the...
. Mr. Guest's widow sold the church in 1908 to a local farmer who in turn in 1910 gave the church to the municipality.