Fåberg church

The history of Fåberg Church

Fåberg Church is a cruciform church from 1727 at Fåberg in Lillehammer municipality in Oppland county. The building is made of timber and has 370 seats. It is a cruciform church, as most churches were built in the 1700s in Gudbrandsdalen, inspired by the cathedral in Oslo. Fåberg is the only one with the tower in the west, the others have a central tower. It is believed that it may be the local builder Svend Tråseth who was the builder of the church. He later built several churches in Gudbrandsdalen and Valdres.

In the 1800s, the church was modernized by simplifying the interior and getting white-painted walls. During restoration in 1956, the church was restored to its old style. Baptismal font of soapstone from the 1100s.

The altarpiece has a painting painted by the Fåberg painter Ole Larsen Smerud. He had received painting training in Copenhagen, where he became a royal coat of arms painter. The painting of Jesus on the cross was given as a gift to the church in 1810.

Two portals from the old stave church in Fåberg are kept in the University's Museum of Cultural History in Oslo. A medieval crucifix is at Maihaugen. The old alms tablet from the church from 1668 is now in Garmo stave church at Maihaugen.

By the church stands the Fåberg Stone, a rune stone that was probably one of three menhirs at the church.
Access to the site is via Rv255.