Voss Church

Voss Church — known locally as Vangskyrkja — is a stone Gothic church from around 1277, one of the oldest stone buildings still in use in this part of Norway. It is unusual for the region: most rural Norwegian churches are wooden stave constructions, and the survival of a medieval stone church here, after centuries of fires and a Second World War bombing, is itself remarkable.

The interior is dominated by a Baroque pulpit and altarpiece from the seventeenth century, painted in deep greens and reds. The ceiling carries a faded depiction of Christ in glory. A runestone outside the south door dates from the eleventh century and predates the building. Services are still held in the church most Sundays; outside service hours, entry is by donation in summer.

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A story
On 25 April 1940 the Luftwaffe bombed Vossevangen for two days, reducing the centre of the town to rubble. The church, in the middle of it all, took a direct hit on the roof — but the bomb failed to explode. The thick stone walls held, and the building survived the war essentially intact while the town around it had to be rebuilt from scratch.

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