Old Veøy Church, Molde

Møre og Romsdal · Norway · Church

A whole medieval town stood on the holy island. Today only a stone church remains, ringed by graveyards nobody can count any more.

Veøya in the Romsdal fjord was the chief place of Romsdal in the Middle Ages – a market town of 300 to 500 permanent residents, and the region's economic, administrative and religious centre. The name itself means "the holy island". At least three churches once stood here; the survivor is Old Veøy Church, a stone nave church from around 1200 dedicated to the apostle Peter. Since the town withered away the island has lain almost empty. Geophysical surveys have traced several church sites and graveyards, and thick layers of black earth beneath the turf; how many lie buried on Veøya, nobody knows. To come ashore on a grey day, walk up through the grass and find a stone church standing entirely alone on a depopulated island, is one of the strangest experiences in Norway.

FAQ

Where is Old Veøy Church, Molde located?

Old Veøy Church, Molde is in Møre og Romsdal, Norway.