Sel church is located at Selsverket, 3.6 km north of the center of Otta.
It is known from ancient times that there were churches in Sel on the farms Breden south of Otta and on Romundgard on Sel. In 1333, "Torde priest à Breidini" is mentioned, so there may have been a church here even then. The church fell into disrepair after the Black Death in 1349 and early in the 16th century that it was demolished.
Romundgard farm on Sel belonged to the Archbishop of Nidaros until the Reformation. The first church here probably burned down in 1628. The new church quickly fell into disrepair, and probably stood until the middle of the 18th century. In 1723, the villagers in the parish bought their own churches. After the church purchase, work was resumed to build a new and larger church further south in the village. The reason for moving the church site was due to: The distance from Bredebygden and the new village center at the copper mine and the mining community at Selsverket. The current church was put into use in 1742.
The church is a timbered cruciform church with paneling on the outer walls. It has 224 seats.
The altarpiece is from 1789 and has the Last Supper as its main image. The altarpiece was carved by Østen Kjørn in 1783 and was painted by Gudbrand Tollefstuen in 1894. (Photo: Steinar Grønn)
The pulpit is older than the church, and may have been taken from the old church at Nord-Sel. (Photo: Steinar Grønn
The pulpit is also richly carved and painted. The workmanship and colors of the pulpit are clearly different from the altarpiece. It is dated to the early 18th century, while the pulpit ceiling is believed to have been added later in the 18th century. Who carried out the work is unknown, but it has been said that the pulpit was made by a farmer.
There are two church bells in the tower of Sel Church. The oldest bell is a gift from Count Danneskjøld-Laurvigen. The bell belonged to Fredriks-Gaves kaaaber-Verk and bears the inscription: "Anno 1647 haven die participanten des Gudbrandsdalichen Bergwerks diese klocke in Kopenhagen giessen lassen"
The second bell is from 1819, and was recast in 1916. This one bears the inscription: "Today a savior is born."
The soapstone baptismal font dates from the Middle Ages. It has been in two churches before it came to Sel Church. (Photo: Steinar Grønn)