Bamble Church

Bamble Church (Norwegian: Bamble kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Bamble Municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Bamble. It is one of the churches for the Bamble og Herre parish which is part of the Bamble prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The white, wooden church was built in a long church design in 1845 using plans drawn up by the architect Gustav Adolph Lammers. The church seats about 400 people.[1][2][3]

Bamble Church
Bamble kirke
View of the church
59°00′34″N 9°39′50″E
LocationBamble Municipality,
Vestfold og Telemark
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
Previous denominationCatholic Church
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
Founded1845
Consecrated19 October 1845
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)G.A. Lammers
Architectural typeLong church
StyleNeo-Gothic
Completed1845 (1845)
Specifications
Capacity400
MaterialsWood
Administration
DioceseAgder og Telemark
DeaneryBamble prosti
ParishBamble og Herre
TypeChurch
StatusAutomatically protected
ID83850

This modern church is built about 150 metres (490 ft) to the north of the ruins of the old St. Olav's Church, a much older stone church, probably constructed before 1150.[4]

History

The old Bamble Church, known as the St. Olav's Church served this parish for many centuries. By the 1840s, the old church was in need of replacement, so planning for a new church began. The old church was going to be torn down and the new church was to be built about 150 metres (490 ft) to the north of the old church. The new church was designed by the local parish priest Gustav Adolph Lammers, who was also the local mayor and a member of parliament for a while.[5] Some modifications to the plan came from Christian Grosch, who worked for the Norwegian Ministry of Church Affairs. The church was consecrated on 19 October 1845. The church is considered by some to be Norway's first Neo-Gothic church. When it was built, some of the stone from the old medieval church was used in the foundation wall and the cemetery wall. The new church was technically a cruciform building, but the transepts that are the cross-arms are very small and short, so the interior of the church is set up as a long church. The two transepts are set up as galleries. In 1902, the church was renovated by the architect Hjalmar Welhaven. Among the things that were changed was the modest original tower was removed and a much larger tower was built in its place. In 1985, the church was again restored and some of the interior colors were changed.[5][6][7][8][4]

Artwork

The church has a large cross flanked by two altarpieces, both painted by Gustav Adolph Lammers. The cross was drawn by Per Vigeland and carved by brothers Anker and Bjarne Walle from Bamble. The 1951, stained glass window, with the risen Christ as a theme, is also by Vigeland.[9] The church inventory also includes an exemplar of Christian III's Bible from 1550 and brass candlesticks that feudal lord Ove Gjedde bestowed to the old church in 1643.[4][10]

  • Exterior front
    Exterior front
  • Exterior front/side
    Exterior front/side
  • Photo from early 20th century
    Photo from early 20th century
  • Interior
    Interior
  • Balconies in the back of the church
    Balconies in the back of the church
  • Stained glass at rear of church, depicting resurrection of Jesus, by Per Vigeland
    Stained glass at rear of church, depicting resurrection of Jesus, by Per Vigeland
  • "The Law"; depicting Moses receiving the templates of law, by G.A. Lammers
    "The Law"; depicting Moses receiving the templates of law, by G.A. Lammers
  • "The Gospel", depicting Jesus in Gethsemane, by G.A. Lammers
    "The Gospel", depicting Jesus in Gethsemane, by G.A. Lammers
  • Organ gallery
    Organ gallery

See also

References
  1. "Bamble kirke". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  3. Rasmussen, Alf Henry. Våre kirker: Norsk kirkeleksikon (in Norwegian). Kirkenær, Norge: Vanebo forlag. p. 504. ISBN 8275270227. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  4. Henriksveen, Herman, ed. (1986). Kirker i Telemark. Stathelle: Flora forlag. pp. 66–67. ISBN 8290695004.
  5. "Bamble kirke". artemisia.no.
  6. "Bamble kirkested / Bamble kirke 2" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  7. "Bamble kirke". Norges-Kirker.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  8. Eldal, Jens Christian; Havran, Jiri (2002). Kirker i Norge, bind 3: Med historiske forbilder. 1800-tallet. Oslo: ARFO. pp. 98–101. ISBN 8291399115.
  9. "Bamble parish". Kulturminnesøk.
  10. "Bamble kirke". LokalHistorieWiki.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 14 December 2022.

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