Birkenes Church ( no, Birkenes kirke) is a
parish church of the
Church of Norway
The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...
in
Birkenes Municipality
Birkenes is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Birkeland, where about half the municipal population lives. Other villa ...
in
Agder county,
Norway. It is located in the village of
Mollestad, about southwest of the municipal centre of
Birkeland Birkeland may refer to:
Places
*Birkeland, Agder, the administrative centre of Birkenes municipality in Agder county, Norway
*Birkeland Church, a church in the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway
* Birkeland, Vestland, a village in Austevoll ...
. It is the church for the Birkenes
parish which is part of the
Vest-Nedenes prosti
This list of churches in Agder og Telemark is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark in Agder and Vestfold og Telemark counties in southern Norway. The diocese is based at the Kristiansand Cathedral in the cit ...
(
deanery
A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...
) in the
Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The white, wooden church was built in a
cruciform design in 1858 using plans drawn up by the
architect Christian Heinrich Grosch. The church seats about 650 people.
History
The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1344, but the church was not new that year, it was likely built in the 1100s. The first church on this site was a stone building that had a rectangular
nave and a narrower, nearly square-shaped
choir. Over the years, a wooden tower was added on the west end of the building. From 1660 to 1662, a new entry was constructed for the church and repairs to the tower were undertaken. During the 1680s, the church was
whitewashed on the inside and outside. From 1723 until 1762, the church was sold into private ownership. In 1820, the tower was taken down and rebuilt. A
sacristy
A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.
The sacristy is usually located ...
was built in 1841. In 1858, the old church was torn down and a new wooden church was built on the same site. Some of the stone from its walls was reused in the foundation of a new church and to build stone walls surrounding the church cemetery. The new wooden church was
consecrate
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
d on 1 December 1858 by the
Bishop Jacob von der Lippe. In 1964, the zinc-covered tower was redone with a new copper roof. In 1987, the sacristy was enlarged to include a small kitchen.
Cemetery
The
cemetery surrounds the church and it has been expanded several times. In 1888-1889, the main gate was moved from the west side to the east side, opposite the sacristy. There is also a gate on the south side. Starting in 1965, work was done to create a mortuary room under the sacristy. After much back and forth, a separate mortuary was built in 1970 using drawings by the
architect Gabriel Tallaksen
In Abrahamic religions ( Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብ ...
. In 1981, a tool house with a break room for cemetery workers was built as well.
Media gallery
Birkenes kirke, Aust-Agder - Riksantikvaren-T198 01 0001.jpg, Historic view of the church
Birkenes kirke AA IMG 2316 KMID 83889.jpg, Entrance to the church
Birkenes kirke AA IMG 2310 KMID 83889.jpg, Side view of the church
Birkenes kirke AA IMG 2332 KMID 83889.jpg, Main doors of the church
Grav Gunder Guttormsoen 1689 Birkenes kirke AA IMG 2321.jpg, Gravestone from 1689 found in the floor of the old church that was torn down in 1858.
See also
*
List of churches in Agder og Telemark
References
{{use dmy dates, date=January 2021
Birkenes
Churches in Agder
Wooden churches in Norway
Cruciform churches in Norway
19th-century Church of Norway church buildings
Churches completed in 1858
12th-century establishments in Norway