Churches in Land
This page presents the churches of Land, Innlandet, Norway, along with photos that bring their beauty and character to life. Each church has its own story and place in the history of the district. Together, they reflect the faith and spirit that have been at the heart of the community for centuries.
Nordre Land
Nordsinni (1758)
Nordsinni Church, a “cross church,” was built in 1758 and was moved down into the valley from what is the current location of Hogne Chapel in 1898. The first reference to Hogne/Nordsinni Church was from 1311 to 1317. Through the years, there are various spellings for Hogne, including Haunar, Hougner and Haugner. The church in Østsinni became the main church for Nordre Land when the Lands parishes were divided in 1866.
Nordsinni Church, North Land Kommune, Oppland Fylke, Norway
Lunde (1767)
Lunde Church, a “cross church,” was built in 1767 and replaced the Ny Gård Church. It was built of logs and has a cupola rather than a tower with a steeple. As with all churches of that time, it had a man’s side and a women’s side. Until the restoration in the 1950s, the farms had their own pew with doors into each one.
Lunde Church, North Land Kommune, Oppland Fylke, Norway
Lunde Church, North Land Kommune, Oppland Fylke, Norway
Lunde Church Interior
Åmodt (1823)
Åmodt Church, a building with eight sides, stands on the Åmodt farm in Nord-Torpa. This church is the farthest north of the Land churches. The church was first painted red on the outside. In 1877 it was paneled on the outside and painted white, as it appears today.
Åmodt and Åmot are the same name, meaning “where two rivers meet”. Åmot is the modern spelling used today; Åmodt/Aamodt is an older Dano-Norwegian form with a silent d, now surviving mainly as a family surname.
Åmodt Church, North Land Kommune, Oppland Fylke, Norway
Åmodt Church, North Land Kommune, Oppland Fylke, Norway
Åmodt Church Interior
Austsinni/Østsinni (1877)
Østsinni Church is located a short distance northeast of Dokka. It was built in 1877 to replace an older church that was built and consecrated in 1726. Some of the timber from the old church was used in the new, no doubt some 700-800 years old at that time. Gaarder Church (sometimes confused with Gaarder Church in Vest-Torpa) is mentioned in written sources from 1337. This church has been known as Østsinni Church for the last 100 years.
Østsinni Church, North Land Kommune, Oppland Fylke, Norway
Østsinni Church Interior
Østsinni Church Pulpit
Hogne (1950)
Hogne Chapel is located high in the Dæhli community in upper Nordsinni. Nordsinni Church stood here from about 1300 until it was moved to its present location in 1898. In 1935 permission to build this chapel was received. Hogne Chapel was dedicated on September 25, 1950.
Hogne Church, North Land Kommune, Oppland Fylke, Norway
Kinn (1956)
Kinn Church, a “long church,” was dedicated in 1956. The first records of Kinn Church are from 1337. This original church of the middle ages was probably a small four-sided stave church and was one of the annex churches (chapels) under Ringsaker Church. In 1817 the old church was dismantled and it is thought that the old church stood on what is now the parking lot.
Kinn Church, North Land Kommune, Oppland Fylke, Norway
Vølstad Kapell (1959)
Far up in Østsinni stands Vølstad Chapel, a “long church.” According to old community legends, this is the oldest church location in the parish, and the land around the church was perhaps the first settled area in Østsinni. It is here that the foundation of the early Volstad Church remains, believed to date to the time of the introduction of Christianity.
Volstad Chapel, North Land Kommune, Oppland Fylke, Norway
Søndre Land
Fluberg (1703)
Fluberg Church is the oldest existing church in Land. It is also very important in that this was the main church for Nordre and Søndre Land right up until 1866. The present church was built of logs in 1703. It is not known what the name “Fluberg” means, and very little is known of the history from the first 100 years of this church. It is known that the first church at Fluberg was a small stave church and was built close to the lake: Randsfjorden. Fluberg was first mentioned in 1330. The first church must have been finished before 1200.
Fluberg Church, South Land Kommune, Oppland Fylke, Norway
Fluberg Church Interior
Fluberg Church Baptismal Font
Hov (1781)
Hov Church stands in the center of the village of Hov, the administrative center for Søndre Land. This church was built in 1781, an extensive restoration completed in 1981. Hov Church is built where it is because this was a place of worship for the pagan gods (“Hov” meaning God’s house). The Christian church deliberately took over this place to show which religion had won. A church is mentioned at Hov in the 1300s.
Hov Church, South Land Kommune, Oppland Fylke, Norway
Hov Church Interior
Enger (1875)
Enger Church, a “long church,” is located the farthest south of the Land churches. Building plans began in 1870 and the church was complete five years later. The church has been remodeled since it was first built, and was rededicated in 1952.
Enger Church, South Land Kommune, Oppland Fylke, Norway
Skute (1915)
Skute Church, a “long church,” was built in 1915. This frame-work building, on the west side of the Randsfjorden, was designed to show some of the features of a traditional “stavkirke” (stave church). At Hol in Hallingdal there is a church of the same type as Skute Church–the only difference being that Skute Church has a higher steeple.
Skute Church, South Land Kommune, Oppland Fylke, Norway
Landåsbygda Kapel (1965)
Built in 1965, Landåsbygda Chapel is the newest church building in Søndre Land. The altar painting dates from before 1700 and originally hung in the first Fluberg Church. There has never been a church here before the present one. The architect of this chapel, Per Nordan, also designed Vølstad chapel in Østsinni.
Landsbygda Chapel, South Land Kommune, Oppland Fylke, Norway
History
Before Nordre Land and Søndre Land had their own churches, they were one. From roughly 1850 until 1866, the entire district was administered as a single clerical unit, Land prestegjeld; just five parishes covered both future municipalities. The table below shows how those five sokn and their annex chapels were organized in the years just before the split.
| Parish (sokn) | Main church | Annex chapel(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Østsinni | Østsinni | Vølstad |
| Nordsinni | Nordsinni | — |
| Torpa | Åmodt | Kinn, Lunde |
| Fluberg | Fluberg | Landåsbygda |
| Søndre Land (Hov) | Hov | Enger, Skute |
Today, that single shared district has become two independent parish councils. Nordre Land now counts four parishes: Østsinni, Nordsinni, Torpa, and Lunde, while Søndre Land has three: Fluberg, Skute, and Søndre Land (Hov). Between them, the two municipalities maintain twelve churches, a legacy of nearly two centuries of splitting, rebuilding, and, in Lunde’s case, a hard-won campaign to avoid being torn down at all.
NORDRE LAND
4 parishes
- Østsinni (Østsinni, Vølstad)
- Nordsinni (Nordsinni, Hogne)
- Torpa (Åmodt, Kinn)
- Lunde (Lunde)
SØNDRE LAND
3 parishes
- Søndre Land (Hov) (Hov, Enger)
- Fluberg (Fluberg, Landåsbygda)
- Skute (Skute)
Timeline
Eight centuries of faith on the shores of Randsfjorden — from a single shared church to seven parishes and twelve churches.