Storegraven og Granvin kyrkje måla av Catharine H. Kølle

Storegraven and Granvin church

Storegraven and Granvin church painted by Catharine H. Kølle. Watercolour, undated. ("Gravens Kirke". Helge Sunde, owner: Universitetsmuseet i Bergen (B 2434e (14,1x18,3))).

Storegraven

GRANVIN CHURCH

The first mention of Granvin church in written sources is in 1306, but the church location must be far older than this. The farm Storegraven is centrally situated at Granvinsvatnet, by the important traffic artery between Hardanger and Voss, where the road takes off to Ulvik.

The stave church that stood here in the Middle Ages had a steeple added later on. Towards the end of the 1600s this church was rebuilt and extended, but in 1726 it was pulled down and replaced by the present timber church. When this church was repaired in 1853, a north gallery was built in the nave, and the colourful interior from the 1700s was painted over. In 1920 the church was again refurbished when it was given its present interior.

Vine borders and painted drapery adorn the longitudinal walls in the chancel, while the east wall has depictions of Peter and Paul in arcade arches. This décor is executed by the painter Lars Osa, who has also decorated the gallery parapet in the nave with acanthus branches, symbols of evangelists and a depiction of a crucifixion. On the wall above the northern gallery we find traces of the original painting from the 1700s, with vines and biblical figures in arches. In the chancel stands the medieval christening font in steatite, and on the southern wall in the nave hangs a small beehive-shaped church bell from the time around 1100. It is one of the oldest church bells in the Nordic countries. An altar cabinet from the late Middle Ages and several procession staves are today to be found in Bergen Museum.

See also

Places in muncipality