Giske marble church

You have now arrived at the historical gem that is Giske Church. Almost 900 years ago it was built as a family chapel for the Arnunge Family, who were the main branch of the mighty Giske family. The beautiful church was built in 1070 by Aagmund Torbergson. At that time, Giske was a centre of power between Trondheim and Bergen. The Chiefs in Giske were both related to the King and in contact with the top Church builders in the land. Detailed research has shown that the Church was built in the year 1135, under Pål Skofteson, the then owner of Giske. The builder was probably his son Nikolas Kuvung. Early in the 12th century there was an artisan community in Bergen with skilled craftsmen from the Rhine region of Germany. We can find their building style in Giske Church. The profiles around the original windows, the plinth around the whole church and the large stone masonary blocks in the walls, characterise the classic design techniques of these craftsmen. The majority of the walls of the Church are externally clad with marble. Many believe that most of it came from a marble quarry in Sunmøre. Although, an alternative point of view is that the marble came from Italy. Today, you can’t see very much of the marble, as the church has been covered in limestone to preserve the marble.