Steinkjer Church ( no, Steinkjer 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 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 ...

Steinkjer Steinkjer is a municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Steinkjer (town), town of Steinkjer which is located on th ...

municipality in

Trøndelag Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denmar ...

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 t ...

. It is located in the town of Steinkjer. It is the church for the Steinkjer

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 or m ...

which is part of the Stiklestad prosti (

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 Nidaros Nidaros is a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Norway. It covers Trøndelag county in Central Norway and its cathedral city is Trondheim, which houses the well-known Nidaros Cathedral. Since 10 September 2017, the Bishop of Nidaros is Herborg ...

. The white,

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...

church was built in a modern,

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

style in 1965 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 ...

Olav S. Platou. The church seats about 550 people.

History

The village of Steinkjer was granted town status in 1857. Plans for a church for the town began soon afterwards. Georg Bull designed the first church which was built in 1865. It was a brick

long church Church building in Norway began when Christianity was established there around the year 1000. The first buildings may have been post churches erected in the 10th or 11th century, but the evidence is inconclusive. For instance under Urnes Stave C ...

that 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 2 August 1865. In 1866, an organ was installed. The church initially just had a cross in the front. In 1877 it received an

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...

. On 15 August 1900, the church burned down in a city-wide fire. After the fire, the town was rebuilt. A new church was designed by

Karl Norum Karl Martin Norum (1852—1911) was a Norwegian architect, best known for his many church buildings, as well as contributions to the reconstruction after the fire in the city of Ålesund in 1904. Norum is well known for his Art Nouveau and ...

. It was consecrated on 21 December 1902. This was a brick,

cruciform Cruciform is a term for physical manifestations resembling a common cross or Christian cross. The label can be extended to architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described ...

church where some old wall surfaces that survived the fire were reused. That church had 570 seats. In the 1930s, the church received

stained glass window Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

s as well as pictures of the twelve apostles on the chancel arch, made by

Gabriel Kielland Gabriel Kielland (6 July 1871 – 28 September 1960) was a Norwegian painter, architect and designer. Gabriel Kielland was born in Trondheim, Norway. Kielland is one of the many notable alumni of the Trondheim Katedralskole. Kielland later studi ...

. The church was destroyed on 21 April 1940 during the fighting that took place in Steinkjer during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Several years passed after the war was over before the church could be rebuilt. Olav Stoud Platou designed the new building which was

d on 25 March 1965. The entrance front is large and square and hides the roof shape and the cross section of the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

. It gives associations to the western front of the Gothic cathedrals and the dominant fronts of the Renaissance churches towards the street. The front door is made of cast bronze and crowned with the Christ monogram. According to older custom, there is also a royal monogram over the front door.

Design

This non-traditional

design incorporates wood, concrete, and glass. It was designed by Olav S. Platou in 1965. The church has a tall free-standing square bell tower near the main entrance. The exterior front of the church has a large square white cement facade. The church interior has white brick walls and the floor is red brick. The ceiling inside the church is shaped like the cross-section of a church bell. The roof is supported by simple columns made of pine which are stained dark. This represents a stark contrast to the white walls and pillars. The length of the church is underlined by the low windows on the long side. Steinkjer Church is inspired by several churches in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

: San Michele, San Frediano, and San Martino. Jakob Weidemann designed 11 different

stained glass windows Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

in the church.

References

{{Authority control Steinkjer Churches in Trøndelag Long churches in Norway Concrete churches in Norway 20th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1965 1865 establishments in Norway

History

Design

See also

References