Kristiansand Cathedral ( no, Kristiansand domkirke) is a

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

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 ...

in Kristiansand Municipality in

Agder Agder is a county (''fylke'') and traditional region in the southern part of Norway. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder counties were merged. Since the early 1900s, the term Sørlandet ("south ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, 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 ...

. It is located in the Kvadraturen area in the central part of the city of Kristiansand. It is the church for the Kristiansand domkirken

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 ...

which is the seat of the

Kristiansand domprosti This list of churches in Agder og Telemark is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark in Agder and Vestfold og Telemark counties in southern Norway. The diocese is based at the Kristiansand Cathedral in the cit ...

(arch-

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 reside ...

) in the

Diocese of Agder og Telemark The Diocese of Agder og Telemark ( no, Agder og Telemark bispedømme) is a diocese of the Church of Norway, covering all of Agder county and most of Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. The cathedral city is Kristiansand, Norway's fifth largest ...

. The cathedral is also the seat of the

Bishop of Agder and Telemark The Diocese of Agder og Telemark ( no, Agder og Telemark bispedømme) is a diocese of the Church of Norway, covering all of Agder county and most of Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. The cathedral city is Kristiansand, Norway's fifth largest ...

. The gray, brick church was built in a

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

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 describe ...

design in 1885 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 ...

Henrik Thrap-Meyer Henrik Thrap-Meyer (31 July 1833 – 29 December 1910) was a Norwegian architect. He is most associated with a wide range of significant buildings, including churches and schools. Thrap-Meyer was born in Bergen, Norway. He was the son of Jo ...

. The church seats about 1,000 people, making it one of the largest cathedrals in Norway. This cathedral is the fourth church and third cathedral to be located on this site over the centuries.

Overview

Kristiansand Cathedral is a

church built of brick and cement in a

plan with 1,750 seats. The church was designed by the architect

. Construction began in 1880 and was completed on 1 February 1885. 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 18 March 1885 by the provost Johan M. Brun who was serving as acting bishop. The cathedral is long and wide. The

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religi ...

is in height. Originally the cathedral had 2,029 seats and room for an additional 1,216 people to stand, but seating has now been reduced so the building can comfortably seat about 1,000. To re-use the walls of the previous cathedral, which burned down in 1880, the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in pagan ...

was positioned at the west end, rather than in the traditional position in the east. The cathedral received a

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoni ...

with 36 bells as a gift from

Falconbridge Nikkelverk Falconbridge may refer to: *Falconbridge Ltd., a Canadian mining company * Falconbridge, Middlesex County, Ontario *Falconbridge, Greater Sudbury, Ontario People: *Lord Falconbridge, an alternative title for barons, viscounts, and earls of Fauconb ...

in 1990, created by

Olsen Nauen Bell Foundry The Olsen Nauen Bell Foundry ( no, Olsen Nauen Klokkestøperi) is a Norwegian bell foundry located in the municipality of Tønsberg. The foundry was established in 1844 by Ole Olsen, and it is headed today by the sixth generation of the Olsen ...

.Kristiansand Domkirke – en kort historisk beskrivelse
from the Official Website Kristiansand Cathedral received a new

church organ Carol Williams performing at the United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel.">West_Point_Cadet_Chapel.html" ;"title="United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel">United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel. ...

, built by the German supplier Klais in 2013, comprising a 58-voice main organ at the eastern balcony and another of 9 voices at the northern balcony. Kristiansand domkirke, Vest-Agder - Riksantikvaren-T150 01 0346

Kristiansand domkirke, Vest-Agder - Riksantikvaren-T150 01 0346

History

The cathedral is in the same location as three previous buildings. The first, called (Trinity Church), a small wooden church, was built in 1645. When Kristiansand was appointed the seat of the diocese in 1682, construction began on the town's first cathedral, called (Our Saviour's Church). That first cathedral, built in stone, was consecrated in 1696, but burned down in 1734. The second cathedral, ''Vor Frues Kirke'' (Our Lady's Church), consecrated in 1738, was destroyed by a fire that affected the whole city, on 18 December 1880. This cathedral has been reconstructed and rebuilt in size 1:10. The model is on display at the

Vest-Agder Museum Kristiansand Vest-Agder Museum Kristiansand or simply Kristiansand Museum (formerly Vest-Agder Fylkesmuseum) was founded in 1903 and is located in Kristiansand, Norway. Kristiansand Museum consists of a main building with collections and 40 old buildings, gro ...

. It was built by a group of enthusiastic model builders. The current cathedral, which is larger than its predecessors, was consecrated in 1885. When the 1940

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

attack on Kristiansand took place early in the morning of 9 April 1940, the -tall cathedral tower was hit by an

artillery shell A shell, in a military context, is a projectile whose payload contains an explosive, incendiary, or other chemical filling. Originally it was called a bombshell, but "shell" has come to be unambiguous in a military context. Modern usage so ...

, which damaged the upper part.

Gallery

File:Kristiansand domkyrkje interioer 2.jpg, Interior File:Kristiansand domkyrkje orgelet..jpg, Organ File:Kristiansand domkyrkje preikestol.jpg, Pulpit File:Kristiansand Domkirke - Inne.jpg, Sanctuary

References

External links

* *
Virtual Interior Kristiansand Cathedral, 360° Panorama (New church organs)View from the Church Tower
VIDEO {{use dmy dates, date=January 2021 Cathedrals in Norway Churches in Kristiansand Lutheran cathedrals in Norway Brick churches in Norway Cruciform churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1885 1645 establishments in Norway

Overview

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links