Frydendal Church ( no, Frydendal kirke) is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of the Church of Norway in

Risør Municipality is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located on the Skagerrak coast in the traditional region of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of Risør municipality is the town of Risør. There are many villages in Risør such as Akland ...

Agder Agder is a county (''fylke'') and traditional region in the southern part of Norway. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder counties were merged. Since the early 1900s, the term Sørlandet ("south ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. It is located in the town of Risør. It is one of the two churches for the Risør

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

which is part of the Aust-Nedenes prosti ( deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The white, wooden church was built in a long church design in 1879 using plans drawn up by the

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Henrik Nissen Johannes Henrik Nissen ( 21 April 1848 – 4 June 1915) was a Norwegian architect. Personal life He was born in Christiania as a son of school manager Hartvig Nissen (1815–1874) and Karen Magdalena Aas (1820–1900). He was a great-grandson ...

. The church seats about 300 people.

History

The saga of Olav Trygvasson talks about a church in ''Søndelef'' in ''Visedal'' an old name for the

prestegjeld A ''prestegjeld'' was a geographic and administrative area within the Church of Norway (''Den Norske Kirke'') roughly equivalent to a parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a di ...

Gjerstad Gjerstad is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Sørlandet, in the southeastern part of the county, along the border with Telemark county. The administrative centre of the municipality is the vil ...

. The church is mentioned in several historical documents dating back to the 1200s. The churches in

Søndeled Søndeled is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964 when it was merged into the municipality of Risør in what is now Agder county. The municipality encom ...

Vegårshei Vegårshei is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Myra. Other villages in Vegårshei include Mo and Ubergsmoen. The municipality is the 2 ...

, and

were all part of the same parish based in

until 1745 when Søndeled (which included

Risør is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located on the Skagerrak coast in the traditional region of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of Risør municipality is the town of Risør. There are many villages in Risør such as Akland, ...

was separated to form its own

. In 1877, Søndeled and Risør were split into two parishes. The town had Risør Church and the rest remained in Søndeled. The large parish of Søndeled was split into two parts and a new church was built in Frydendal, just outside the town of Risør. The old church was renamed ''Indre'' Søndeled (meaning "inner" - further from the ocean) and the new church was named ''Ytre'' Søndeled (meaning "outer" - closer to the ocean). The new church was completed in 1879. It was designed by

from

Kristiania Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, and it was designed in a

neo-gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...

style. The church cost to complete at that time. The new church was consecrated on 20 August 1879 by the priest from

Søndeled Church Søndeled Church ( no, Søndeled kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Risør Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of Søndeled. It is the church for the Søndeled parish which is part of the Aust-Ned ...

, H.A. Arnesen, since the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

Jørgen Moe Jørgen Engebretsen Moe (22 April 1813–27 March 1882) was a Norwegian folklorist, bishop, poet, and author. He is best known for the '' Norske Folkeeventyr'', a collection of Norwegian folk tales which he edited in collaboration with Pe ...

was ill. The church has a typical long church design with twin towers on the west end on either side of the main entrance. In 1928, the church was renovated and refurbished, just in time for its 50th anniversary. Prior to 2006, the church was called ''Ytre Søndeled Church'' and it was part of the Ytre Søndeled parish. In 2006, the Ytre Søndeled parish was merged into the Risør parish and the church was renamed ''Frydendal Church''.

Media gallery

Frydendal kirke.JPG, Front of the church Frydendal kirke 4.JPG, Side of the church Frydendal kirke natt 2017 (2).jpg, View of the church at night 2009 Frydendal kirke.JPG, Alternate view

References

{{use dmy dates, date=January 2021 Risør Churches in Agder Wooden churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1879 1879 establishments in Norway

History

Media gallery

See also

References