Saint Mark's Church ( no, Markus kirke) is a church in the

St. Hanshaugen St. Hanshaugen (Norwegian for St. John's Hill) is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. Area It has a triangular shape, with its northern border just north of the buildings of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation and Ullevål University Hos ...

district of

Oslo 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 ...

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 t ...

, completed in 1927. The church has entrances from Schwensen Street ( no, Schwensens gate) no. 15 and on Ullevål Street ( no, Ullevålsveien) no. 41.

Building

Saint Mark's Church is a triple-nave long church ( no, langkirke) two stories high with facades made of suspended brick. The church is one of the few churches in Oslo built into a dense block of apartment buildings on both sides. The construction lot was a rock outcropping when the church was built, and therefore there is a staircase up from street level on Ullevål Street. The main entrance is from Schwensen Street. The architect of the church was Sverre Knudsen, who had spent extensive time in Sweden and was involved with Swedish architecture, and the church is reminiscent of this. Its style is a blend of Norwegian Baroque Revival (the side facing Ullevål Street) and Neoclassicism. The belfry on Ullevål Street is flush against the structure and the tower spire is covered in copper plating. Facing Schwensen Street, the building has a low two-story octagonal belfry with a spire and a granite-framed entrance to the tower. The decoration in the chancel and the altar table were created by

Enevold Thømt Martin Enevold Thømt (June 8, 1878 – June 21, 1958) was a Norwegian decorative painter. Life and work Thømt was born in Askim,Waterloo Normannsen, Sølvi. 2010. Klart for nye blikk på gamle skatter. ''UA'' (September 6). the son of Karl P. ...

. The 34-voice organ was built by

Josef Hilmar Jørgensen Josef Hilmar Jørgensen (March 28, 1892 – November 2, 1961) was a Norwegian organ builder. Jørgensen was the owner of the J. H. Jørgensen organ company. The company was originally called Olsen & Jørgensen from 1892 to 1925Frisk, Anna, Sver ...

in 1927 and restored in 1991. It is one of the few remaining full Romantic organs in Norway of this size. The Norwegian composer Per Steenberg served as organist at the church from 1927 to 1940. The church can seat 530 people. Next to the church is a large parish center with halls, offices, and apartments for priests.

Parish

Saint Mark's Parish was separated from Old Aker Parish in 1917. The parish encompassed the

Bislett

Bislett is a ne ...

neighborhood and parts of the

district. The parish included 7,048 people as of January 1, 2005, of whom about 5,100 were members 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 ...

. Saint Mark's Parish belonged to the Oslo Cathedral deanery. In March 2012 it was proposed that it be closed and that the parish merge with the Old Aker Parish and Lovisenberg Parish, which together would form a new St. Hanshaugen Parish with Old Aker Church as the parish church. Saint Mark's Church would then stop being used as a regular parish church. On February 25, 2013 it was decided by the Oslo diocesan council that Saint Mark's Church would be freed up for other purposes. The Cathedral, Trininty, Saint Mark's, Old Aker, and Lovisenberg were merged into one parish called Center and St. Hanshaugen Parish. The new parish totals about 16,000 members. The Cathedral, Trinity Church, Old Aker Church, and Lovisenberg Church are active churches in the new parish. Saint Mark's Church was made available for rental in 2013. Both organizations and churches expressed interest in it. The church warden in Oslo received authorization from the Joint Council of Churches to choose the lessee. In November 2013, the Pentecostal Jesus Church was selected. The lease is valid for five-year terms and is set at 700,000 kroner per year. On March 4, 2013, the Jesus Church celebrated its first service in the church.

References

{{reflist Lutheran churches in Oslo Cultural heritage of Norway Churches completed in 1927 1927 in Norway