Knut Guttormsen (1830—1900) was a Norwegian builder and architect. He is most famous for the many churches he built and renovated. Knut Guttormsen was married to Sara Sofie Andersdtter Haugaskjæret and together they had five children: Sofus Emil Guttormsen, Richard Gotfred Guttormsen, Olav Guttormsen, Karl Guttormsen, and Olaf Marinius Guttormsen. Knut Guttormsen was born on the homestead Sigurdstøyl in Morgedal in Telemark county. He was confirmed at the

Kviteseid Church Kviteseid Church ( no, Kviteseid kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Kviteseid Municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Kviteseid. It is the main church for the Kviteseid parish which ...

in 1845. The same year he traveled to Christiania where an older half-brother had settled earlier. He became a

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...

bricklayer A bricklayer, which is related to but different from a mason, is a craftsman and tradesman who lays bricks to construct brickwork. The terms also refer to personnel who use blocks to construct blockwork walls and other forms of masonry. ...

, and builder. He helped build a bridge over

Sarpsfossen Sarp Falls ( no, Sarpefossen or ') is a waterfall at Sarpsborg in Viken, Norway. It is the second largest waterfall in Europe by discharge, after the Rhine Falls. This is the last waterfall on the Glomma River, which is the longest river in Norwa ...

in Sarpsborg. While in Sarpsborg, he met Sofie Andersdatter Haugaskjæret from Time in Østfold. For a time he also did work on the

Gamle Aker Church Old Aker Church ( no, Gamle Aker kirke) is a medieval era church located in Oslo, Norway. An active parish, the church is the oldest existing building in Oslo. The church is surrounded by Old Aker Cemetery. History Old Aker Church was built as ...

. The family moved to Trondheim in the 1860s where he received several large construction assignments. Eventually, Knut Guttormsen was appointed construction manager for the restoration work at

Nidaros Cathedral Nidaros Cathedral ( no, Nidarosdomen / Nidaros Domkirke) is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county. It is built over the burial site of Olav II of Norway, King Olav II (c. 995–1030, reigned 1015–102 ...

. He also did work on many churches including Åfjord Church, Rissa Church, Melhus Church, and Ytterøy Church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guttormsen, Knut 1830 births 1900 deaths Architects from Trondheim Norwegian ecclesiastical architects