Fitjar Church

About

The first church in Fitjar was probably a wooden post church that was built in the 10th century on a site about 40 metres (130 ft) north of the present church site. A wooden coffin was discovered near the present church in 1997 that was dated to the 10th century, so it is likely the church was in existence at that time. During the early 12th century, a new stone church was built at Fitjar. This stone building was built around the same time as the Old Moster Church was built since the two churches have similar designs. The new church was built of stone and it probably did not have a steeple. The main part of the church was approximately 14.4 by 10.7 metres (47 ft × 35 ft) with a rectangular nave that measured 14.4 by 10.7 metres (47 ft × 35 ft) and a smaller chancel that measured 6.9 by 8.5 metres (23 ft × 28 ft). The walls of the church were approximately 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) thick.

Prior to 1862, Fitjar Church was an annex to the large parish of Stord. In 1862, Fitjar was split off to form its own parish. At that time, it was decided that the old church was too small for the new parish so a new church would be built. In 1867, the old church was torn down and a new wooden…