A unique piece of medieval history
St. Jetmund Church is the oldest and most distinctive church in Vanylven. It was built around 1150, in Romanesque style, with marble details on the west front, arches, frames and the beautiful chancel portal – the rest built from fieldstone. The church is named after the English king Edmund, who was killed by Vikings in the 10th century and later canonised as a saint. According to legend, it was King Edmund who saw Åheim from Maurstadeidet and got the idea to build the church.
In 1863, the church was demolished when a new church was completed at Slagnes, but in the 1930s, reconstruction of the ruins began. On 11 August 1957, St. Jetmund was consecrated again, stone by stone – with niches on each side of the chancel portal where saint sculptures once stood.
Heritage and timeless details
Inside the church, you can still see the pulpit from 1630, carved and painted – found and restored after being hidden away in the attic at Slagnes. The gilded medieval altarpiece also returned to St. Jetmund after being used in the new church.
Today, St. Jetmund is a living cultural monument, with a new bell tower added in 2019 and a new organ on its way. The local community holds services and events here, continuing the legacy of one of the oldest stone churches in Norway, on the same ground where people gathered almost 900 years ago.