Holla Kirkeruin

Holla Old Church, also known as Holla Church Ruin, is located on Hollatoppen in Ulefoss. This is a medieval church that was built in the 12th century.

The church was dedicated to Saint Mary3. After the ironworks owner Cappelen, who also owned Holla Old Church, built the new Holla Church as a gift to the people of Holla in 1867, the old church fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1878. On the initiative of Eleonore Cappelen, the old church was rebuilt and restored between 1923 and 1925. In more recent times, the Directorate for Cultural Heritage has been responsible for restoration of the old medieval church.

The church at Holla was built from local rocks, many of which were sourced from areas once beneath the unique Fen volcano. More about why this volcano was so special can be found under "Fensfeltet".

The beautiful carvings in the church's door portals are made from volcanic limestone called søvitt. These stones were taken from the "Kalkbergja" limestone quarry by Norsjø and were also used in the medieval church at Romnes. Limestone is easier to work than, for example, the local gneiss or fenite, which can also be found in several places in the church ruins. Fenite is another of the special rocks formed by the volcano.

Both søvitt and fenite were described for the first time in the world here in Nome, by W.C. Brøgger in 1921. The names of the rocks come from local farms and places, such as Søve farm and the Fen area. Rocks formed by similar volcanoes as the Fen volcano have since been found in many places, such as the African Rift, Alnö in Sweden, and Canada. But since Nome was the first place it was understood that limestones could also be formed in connection with volcanoes, several of the names Brøgger introduced are now widely used..