Tanum Church (''Tanum kirke'') is a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

located at

Bærum Bærum () is a municipality in the Greater Oslo Region in Norway that forms an affluent suburb of Oslo on the west coast of the city. Bærum is Norway's fifth largest municipality with a population of 128,760 (2021). It is part of the electoral ...

Viken county Viken may refer to: *Viken, Scandinavia, a historical region *Viken (county), a Norwegian county established in 2020 *Viken, Sweden, a bimunicipal locality in Skåne County, Sweden *Viken (lake), a lake in Sweden, part of the part of the Göta cana ...

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 ...

History

The church from the early 12th century is one of two

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

churches in Bærum. It was constructed of stone in a rectangular form. It is a Romanesque church that sometimes is referred to as built in ''Anglo-Saxon style''. The church is dated to the first half of the 12th century and was dedicated to

Saint Mary the Virgin Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

. In the early 18th century, the church was expanded eight meters to the west. On the north side of the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

, a sacristy with burial chamber below was built in 1674. However, this soon became too small, and in 1713 a larger burial chapel was built, next to the sacristy. In the early 20th century, the church was restored. The church and surrounding burial site is considered as an important cultural heritage by the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage and protected by law.Tanum kirkested
Kulturminnesøk, Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage Tanum church has retained its rich inventory and has been a popular motive for many visual artists, among them

Harriet Backer Harriet Backer (21 January 1845 – 25 March 1932) was a Norwegian painter who achieved recognition in her own time and was a pioneer among female artists both in the Nordic countries and in Europe generally. She is best known for her detailed ...

Current interior

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...

and a woman figure, probably showing Virgin Mary and two portals to the south from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

are preserved. The

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

altarpiece is from 1663, where the main picture shows Jesus on the cross flanked by Saint Mary and

Saint John the Apostle John the Apostle ( grc, Ἰωάννης; la, Ioannes ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ;) or Saint John the Beloved was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Generally listed as the youngest apostle, he was the son of Zebedee a ...

(which is also a motive in some of the murals). The baptismal font was performed by Svend Svanneberg in 1724. The pulpit, which is round, is probably also performed by Svend Svanneberg. There are also exposed murals on the walls. In the church there is a small church organ with 8 voices.

Harriet Backer and Tanum Church

Harriet Backer painted motifs of the interior of Tanum Church several times. Of the most famous are " Christening in Tanum Church" and in "Entrance Wives" (of two women who receive the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...

by a priest), both performed in 1892. These paintings clearly showcase her coloristic skills and how she depicts the light and colors of the interior in the interior.

Burial site

Tanum Church is surrounded by a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

that has been burial site since pre-Christian times. There are several large, ancient

burial mounds A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built ...

. Today's cemetery contains about 3000 graves. The oldest preserved grave monuments are from late 17th century.

References

External links

tanum-menighet.no Official parish website

Kirken i Bærum

Tanum Church
visitnorway.com {{commons category, Interior of Tanum kirke Churches in Viken Stone churches in Norway 12th-century churches in Norway