Sister Churches, Norway

The Sister Churches (Søsterkirkene) consist of two 12th-century churches that were built right next to each other in Gran Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. They are part of the Church of Norway and are located in the village of Granavollen. They are part of the Gran/Tingelstad parish which is part of the Hadeland og Land prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar. The two churches are both gray stone buildings that were both built in a long church design during late-12th century. The church that sits to the north is called St. Nicholas' Church (Nikolaikirken) and the church that sits to the south is called St. Mary's Church (Mariakirken). According to local folklore, the churches were commissioned by two sisters who had fallen out and therefore would not be seen in the same church. It is, however, not uncommon for medieval churches with different functions to be built close to one another. It is more likely that the smaller Mariakirken was a church for a monastery while the Nikolaikirken was a regular parish church.

Church data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).