Though frequently referred to as a 13th-century church, dating based on dendrochronology places its completion shortly after 1434. Compared to the other ten north Norwegian medieval stone churches, Trondenes Church is well preserved, the exterior condition still close to the original state. The nave is 22.6 metres (74 ft) long and the chancel is 13.5 metres (44 ft), making it one of the largest medieval churches of rural Norway. In the late Medieval period, Trondenes served as the main church centre of Northern Norway.
The church is best known for its rich decorations, including three gothictriptychs, one of which was earlier attributed to the German Hanseatic artist Bernt Notke, although modern art historians now doubt the attribution.[3] The baroquepulpit is equipped with an hourglass to allow the minister to time long sermons. The organ dates from the late 18th century. In the choir section, one can see remnants of medieval frescoes.
History
The present church is presumably the third church on the site, the first stave church was likely built on the site during the 11th century, followed by another building in the 12th century. The second church was fortified with stone walls and ramparts, remnants of which can still be seen around the church today. The present stone church was built around the year 1435. The church bells once hung from a turret but, as the turret has long since been demolished, the bells now ring from a small tower in the graveyard.[4]
In 1814, this church served as an election church (Norwegian: valgkirke).[5] Together with more than 300 other parish churches across Norway, it was a polling station for elections to the 1814 Norwegian Constituent Assembly which wrote the Constitution of Norway. This was Norway's first national elections. Each church parish was a constituency that elected people called "electors" who later met together in each county to elect the representatives for the assembly that was to meet at Eidsvoll Manor later that year.[5][6]
