Søm Church () is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

of the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

Kristiansand Municipality Kristiansand is a city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...

Agder Agder is a counties of Norway, county () and districts of Norway, traditional region in the southern part of Norway and is coextensive with the Southern Norway region. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Au ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is located in the district of

Søm Søm is a district in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. With a population of about 9,500 (2022), it is the third largest district in Kristiansand. The district is a part of the borough of Oddernes. Søm has borders with the distri ...

in the borough of

Oddernes Oddernes is a List of boroughs of Kristiansand, borough in the Kristiansand (town), city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The borough covers eastern Kristiansand on the east side of the Topda ...

in the city of Kristiansand. It is one of the churches for the Randesund

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

which is part of the Kristiansand domprosti (arch-

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the 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 residence of ...

) in the

Diocese of Agder og Telemark The Diocese of Agder og Telemark () is a diocese of the Church of Norway, covering all of Agder county and Telemark county in Norway. The cathedral city is Kristiansand, Norway's fifth largest city. Kristiansand Cathedral serves as the seat of t ...

. The red brick church was built in a fan-shaped design in 2004 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 ...

s Arild Lauvland and Arne Åmland. The church seats about 450 people, but it can be expanded to seat up to about 650 people.

History

The foundation stone was laid in January 2000 and over the next few years, the church was constructed. The church was

consecrate Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

d on 28 November 2004.

Interior art

The

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows were made by artist

Kjell Nupen Kjell Nupen (September 5, 1955 – March 12, 2014) was a Norwegian contemporary artist. He was a painter, sculptor and graphic artist. Early years Kjell Nupen had his professional breakthrough very early. At just 17 years old, he was admitted to ...

on the theme: "From darkness to light". The stained glass extends from the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

up to the ceiling and through the nave to the front door. The side windows have stained glass as well. A total of of wall space is covered by the stained glass window. One large and several smaller

tapestries Tapestry is a form of textile art which was traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical pieces are intended to han ...

were created by textile artist

Else Marie Jakobsen Else Marie Jakobsen (28 February 1927 – 12 December 2012) was a Norwegian designer and textile artist. Biography Jakobsen was born and raised in Kristiansand, Norway. She graduated from Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry (n ...

Media gallery

Søm kirke 0983 2017.jpg, Søm Church as seen from the north Søm kirke 0985 hovedinngang krukke.jpg, The main entrance - the jar to the left was created by artist Kjell Nupen Søm kirke kontor 0989.jpg, The entrance to the offices Søm kirke 1 003 bell tower.jpg, The bell tower (detail)

References

External links

*
Photographs by architect Arne Åmland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Som Church Churches in Kristiansand Brick churches in Norway 21st-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 2004 2004 establishments in Norway

History

Interior art

Media gallery

See also

References

External links