Dale Church

About

Dale Church (Norwegian: Dale kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Luster Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Luster on the western shore of the Lustrafjorden. It is the church for the Dale parish which is part of the Sogn prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The red and white, stone church was built in a long church design around the year 1240 using designs by an unknown architect. The church seats about 200 people.

History: The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1306, but it was likely built about 80 years earlier (during the first half of the 13th century). Dale Church in Luster reflects both Romanesque and Gothic styles. The medieval-era church was dedicated to Saint Nicholas. Samples of the wood in the roof over the nave are dated to 1220–1229, so that may be the time that the church was originally constructed, however the church traditionally has used the date 1250 for its year of construction (the 750th anniversary was celebrated in 2000). Construction includes granite in cavity walls with soapstone corners and frames. The church has a rectangular nave that measured about 14...