Meldal Church

It is certain that Meldal has had its own church since the Middle Ages, but it is uncertain where this old stave or stone church once stood. What we do know is that the people of Meldal received a new church on this site in 1651. When that old church burned down in 1981, it took seven years before a new church was completed.

The new church was designed by John Mosand and is largely similar to the old one - including the interior. The woodcarver Johan Rokones created copies of the former interior, and today we can see how a newly made church interior looked in the mid-17th century, with strong, vivid colors. In this way, Meldal kirke has received a new interior carved in Baroque style - more specifically in the “acanthus baroque” (bruskbarokk), the earliest form of Baroque decoration in Norway, a style that came to the country in the 1630s. On the gallery balustrade in Meldal Church, we see the virtues in personified form. At the time the old church was built, this was typical and was meant to illustrate the struggle of the virtues against the vices.

In 1793, Meldal received a new parish priest: Jacob von der Lippe Parelius. He represented the Enlightenment ideals of his time; he promoted public education and introduced farmers to new agricultural methods. It is said that at the parsonage he established the first potato cellar in Norway. However, he encountered problems with the farmers. At that time they were inspired by the Haugebevegelsen, but the priest would not tolerate laypeople encroaching on his domain when it came to preaching and the exercise of clerical office. This changed when the priest’s son succeeded his father as parish priest; he developed a much better relationship with the farmers and the lay movement - the priest had realized that he needed to take the laity into account. A new era had begun.

The parsonage in Meldal lies just across the road from the church. It has a beautiful garden, originally laid out by the same Parelius. In 1795 he had a gazebo built in the garden, a gift for his wife Margrethe. The gazebo still stands, and the garden is maintained by a dedicated local group in Meldal. It is open, and everyone is welcome to enter.