Sola Ruin Church

Rogaland · Norway · Ruin

For seven hundred years the stone church on the Jæren shingle was the sailors' landmark. Then it became an artist's studio – and then it was blown apart.

Sola Ruin Church was raised around 1140 on a sand hill on Jæren's open coast and is first mentioned in writing in 1273. For seven hundred years its low stone tower was the key landmark for anyone sailing that notorious shoreline, where countless ships were lost. The church went out of use in 1842 and was left to decay until the painter Johan Bennetter bought the ruin in 1871, restored it and lived and worked in it until 1907. During the Second World War the German occupation tore down most of the walls to clear sightlines around the airfield. The church was reconstructed in 1992–95 from what survived. It now stands alone against the sea wind once more, a room in which the Middle Ages, an artist's life and a war lie layered on top of one another.

FAQ

Where is Sola Ruin Church located?

Sola Ruin Church is in Rogaland, Norway.

More haunted places in Rogaland

• Utstein Abbey, Mosterøy Rogaland · Monastery
• The Priest and the Candle That Couldn't Be Blown Out, Sauda Rogaland · Church
• Odderøya – the Quarantine Station and Cholera Cemetery Agder · Cemetery
• The Evil One in Bukken Who Feared the Cross (Kinsarvik) Hordaland · Site of legend
• The Kari Rud Tune – Kjørstad-drepen (Sør-Aurdal) Oppland · Site of legend
• The Priest's Sons and the Clawed Stranger (Land) Oppland · Site of legend
• Helje Danced to Death (Elverum) Hedmark · Site of legend
• The Sand Ropes on Kaupanger Shore, Sogndal Sogn og Fjordane · Natural site

Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.5 — Wikimedia Commons