Bratsberg Church ( no, Bratsberg 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 ...

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

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 Bratsberg area southeast of the city of Trondheim and east of

Heimdal Heimdal is a borough in the city of Trondheim in the municipality of Trondheim in Trøndelag county, Norway. It covers the western and southwestern parts of the municipality. The village area that is also called Heimdal is located in the southe ...

. It is one of the churches for the Nidelven

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

Strinda prosti This list of churches in Nidaros is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Nidaros which covers all of Trøndelag county in Norway. The list is divided into several sections, one for each deanery in the diocese. Administrati ...

(

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, wooden church was built in a

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 ...

style in 1850 by Ole Henriksen 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 ...

Hans Linstow Hans Ditlev Franciscus (Frants) von Linstow (4 May 1787 – 10 June 1851) was a Danish/Norwegian architect who designed the Royal Palace in Oslo and much of the surrounding park and the street ''Karl Johans gate''. Background Hans Ditlev Franc ...

. The church seats about 220 people.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1663, but the church was founded much earlier. The first church in Bratsberg was a stave church that was located on the Bratsberg farm, about west of the present church site. The old medieval church was torn down around the year 1663. In its place, a new church was constructed on the same site. The new church had a rather unique Y-shaped floor plan. By 1845, the old church was in poor condition and it was decided to replace the old church. At the same time, the parish decided to move the church site about east to a site that was more populated and easier for people in the parish to get to. The new church was built in 1850 by a team led by Ole Henriksen using designs that were drawn up by

. The church 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 4 December 1850 by

Hans Jørgen Darre Hans Jørgen Darre (27 September 1803 – 11 March 1874) was a Norwegian clergyman and Bishop of Nidaros. Darre was born at Klæbu in Søndre Trondhjem, Norway. He was the son of the vicar in Klæbo and constitutional founding father, Jacob He ...

who was the Bishop of the

. The new church had a

design. The church underwent restoration during 1905, 1972, and 2016. The original

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 ...

was performed at that time by Eilert Balle Lund (1815–1891). The present altarpiece dates to 1972 and was completed by Knut Skinnarland (1909–1993). The

baptismal font A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for baptism. Aspersion and affusion fonts The fonts of many Christian denominations are for baptisms using a non-immersive method, such as aspersion (sprinkling) or affusion (pouring). ...

is in brass and dates from 1638. The organ was installed in 1913. The church has two bells dating from 1850 and 1989.

Media gallery

Bratsberg kirke 2012.jpg Bratsberg kirke (3885928515).jpg Bratsberg kirke (1966) (3886726212).jpg

References

{{use dmy dates, date=June 2021 Churches in Trondheim Churches in Trøndelag Cruciform churches in Norway Wooden churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1850 14th-century establishments in Norway

History

See also

Media gallery

References