Lesja Church

It is uncertain where the first church in Lesja was located, but the present day church that was built in 1749, replaced an older stave church that was located a little farther down towards the river, which was once a lake.Lesja church is a cross church, built in timber and with wooden bords on the outside walls. It has a tower that is quite unique to Gudbrandsdalen.

In 1723, the king of Denmark-Norway decided that all churches in Norway was to be sold. This was done in order to increase the kings income after having spent most of what he had on the Great Northern War. Here, in Gudbrandsdalen, the farmers came together to buy their own church. This was a time when the population was growing and many of the old stave churches were in a poor condition. This led some of the villages in Gudbrandsdalen to built new churches in the period between 1725 - 1760. They were all cross churches built in timber.

What is most striking when one enters Lesja Church is the Altarpiece and the pulpit. Both items are quite impressive and cut in a baroque style with the acanthus plant as the most important element in the ornaments. The pulpit was made for the old church between 1742 - 1745 by Jakob B. Klukstad and was moved over to the new church. The altarpiece was made for the new church, a work that is considered a main work within Norwegian wood cutting.