Tjølling Church

Tjølling church was built in brick sometime in the 12th century. The year of construction is unknown, but it is assumed to be around 1150. The church is dedicated to St. Michael and Sta. Maria. There is a letter from 1459 that mentions Sta. Sunniva's church in Tjølling, but there are no other sources that say anything more about this.

The church was originally built as a basilica, with columns and side aisles. After the church was damaged by an earthquake in 1759, it was almost completely demolished and rebuilt in the years 1762-1767. Not as a basilica, but as a long church with everything under one roof. Still, the church was rebuilt with the same size and outline as the medieval church had. Tjølling church is very large for a medieval church. The reason for this may be that Tjøllingvollen was a courthouse in ancient times. The church has been restored several times. The interior includes a rococo-style baptistery and a chandelier from Nøstetangen.

The church and cemetery are automatically protected under the Cultural Heritage Act.

This is a church for the entire village that has been visited by many generations in both joy and sorrow. Tjøllingvollen is also the site of the old courthouse Ϸjođalyng. This may have been the local herađsting, the meeting place for the free farmers in a rural community in pre-Christian times. At Lunde, 745 cooking pits have been found, testifying to large gatherings of councils and other important gatherings of people over 1,000 years in the Early Iron Age, before the Viking Age.
To the east of the church is the venerable vicarage with associated buildings from 1805. The original vicarage burned down in 1376, it was then rebuilt in another location and later moved back to the original vicarage site.
Parts of the vicarage are today used by Tjølling Historielag.