Rygge church 900 years oldHis Royal Highness the Crown Prince visited Rygge Church in Moss today to mark the church's 900th anniversary.
During the visit, Crown Prince Haakon saw the portal that dates the church to the year 1120. Rygge church is thus the country's oldest church that is still in use.
On the church hill, the Crown Prince met Bishop Atle Sommerfeldt, Priest Tor Bjørn Osberg and the parish priest Ingvild Osberg. On the way to the church, the local trumpeter, Stian Omenås, played the anniversary fanfare in honour of the Crown Prince arrival.
Rygge church is a single-nave church from the Middle Ages, and in 1967 the church went through a major restoration. Mayor Hanne Tollerud opened the exhibition with pictures from the anniversary book and the bishop welcomed the Crown Prince for a tour inside the stone church.
The current altarpiece in Rygge church came into place in 1740. Between 1786 and 1867 the church was privately owned by local wealthy farmers. The baptismal font is estimated to be from the year 1225 and the pulpit is from 1675. The oldest church bell that is still in use dates from the beginning of the 15th century.