Løvøy Chapel

The Løvøy Chapel on the Løvøya island is the smallest of Horten's three medieval churches and supposed to date back to the 1200's. The location of the church is connected to the St. Olav's well, and it is believed that the water had healing power.

Stone church from the Middle Ages
Løvøy Chapel is beautifully located on the idyllic Løvøya in Horten, surrounded by deciduous forest, exciting trails and beautiful views of the Oslo Fjord. The chapel is a cozy and romantic stone church from the 13th century, and the smallest and most distinctive of Horten's three medieval churches. In the summer the pilgrimage goes by this medieval church and there is a service every other weekend there.

The sacred St. Olav's source
Next to the chapel is the "wishing well":  The sacred St. Olav source which people believed to have had a healing power since the 13th century. The source is one of the 23 famous Olav sources in Norway. The water from the sources is supposed to be holy and give blessing and strength to those who drink or touch it. Characteristic of St. Olav's sources is that they are sources that do not dry out when other sources go out in dry periods.

Popular chapel to marry
The Løvøyapellet is a perfect place to marry in the summer and a very popular chapel for this purpose. The church has 100 seats and a simple yet adventurous atmosphere.

History
Pilgrims from all the Nordic countries came here. The Reformation in 1536 put an official stop to the catholic pilgrimages to Løvøya but people continued to come to the well and church for years on. The church was in ruins for many years until preservation and restoration was initiated in 1882 and it was reopened in 1950.