Oddernes Church
| Oddernes Church | |
|---|---|
| Oddernes kirke | |
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| 58°09′34″N 08°00′48″E / 58.15944°N 8.01333°ECoordinates: 58°09′34″N 08°00′48″E / 58.15944°N 8.01333°E | |
| Location |
Oddernes Kristiansand, |
| Country | Norway |
| Denomination |
 Church of Norway |
| Churchmanship | Evangelical Lutheran |
| Website | www.oddernes.no |
| History | |
| Consecrated | approx. 1040 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architectural type | Romanesque architecture |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 395 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Oddernes |
| Diocese | Diocese of Agder og Telemark |
Oddernes Church, originally built of stone, is a church in the former municipality of Oddernes, now Kristiansand, Norway. The tower section is a later addition, made of wood. The oldest building in Kristiansand from c. 1040, it is the main church in Oddernes Parish in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark within the Church of Norway. The chancel has rubble walls and a semi-circular apse, testifying to the church's medieval origins. The church seats 395.[1]
History
Before the church
Findings in burial mounds in the area testify to a settlement dating back to AD 400. It is also believed that there was a royal residence in Oddernes prior to 800. Some historians believe there was once a wooden church or stave church on the site where the present stone church is located. Before the Protestant Reformation, the church was dedicated St. Olaf.
Rune stone
A rune stone (now located in the porch) that originally stood in the churchyard shows the site has been central to the community even earlier in view of its possible reference to St. Olaf.
Royal gift
In the 1630s the church was extended by 8 meters after a gift of funds from King Christian IV in connection with a visit in 1635. The money was used for major repairs in the years 1642-1644 and in 1699 for constructing the bell tower. There are three bells in the tower, the oldest from the 13th century.
Interior
The organ, altarpiece, pulpit and the tower were all the result of gifts from the first Mayor of Kristiansand, Christen Nielssøn Wendelboe and wife. The pulpit is a classical Baroque.
The minstrels' gallery facing the church room along the north side of the church is built in a simple Renaissance style. It has 44 segments with images of prophets, apostles, and allegorical figures.
A new interior was installed in the church in 1788 and was elaborately decorated. The decorations and embellishments of the minstrel's gallery and the walls were covered with brown paint in 1827. In 1927 the paint was removed.[2][3]
References
- ↑ Oddernes church on www.kirkesok.no (Norwegian)
- ↑ Peersen, Erik, ed.; Oddernes kirke 950 år, Kristiansand 1990 (Norwegian)
- ↑ Oddernes Church, Heritage website (Norwegian) & (English)
Church of Norway churches in the Kristiansand arch-deanery, Vest-Agder county, Norway | |||
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