| Old Aker Church Gamle Aker kirke | |
|---|---|
 South side of the church | |
| Type | Church |
| Status | Automatically protected |
| County | Oslo |
| Municipality | Oslo |
| Coordinates | 59°55′25″N10°44′50″E / 59.9237°N 10.7471°E |
| Year built | Middle Ages |
| ID | 84226 |
Old Aker Church (Norwegian : Gamle Aker kirke) is a medieval era church located in Oslo, Norway. An active parish, the church is the oldest existing building in Oslo. [1] The church is surrounded by Old Aker Cemetery.
Old Aker Church was built as a three-naved Romanesque style basilica and constructed from limestone. It is believed to have been erected by King Olav Kyrre in 1080 as a church for all of Vingulmark, the historic area surrounding Oslo. The grounds of Old Aker Church were originally likely the former site of the regional thing during the pre-Christian period. [2]
The oldest part of the surrounding churchyard dates back to the 12th century. The church has been pillaged and ravaged by fire several times. After a lightning strike and fire during 1703, the tower and church bells as well as the entire inventory were destroyed. The exterior was restored by architects Heinrich Ernst Schirmer and Wilhelm von Hanno in 1861. Interior restoration during the period 1950–1955 included removal of plaster on brick walls and restoration of the Baroque style furnishings. [3] [4]
The church sits on top of Telthusbakken and is located centrally in the borough of St. Hanshaugen. It is surrounded by an old graveyard and a stone wall. The church has a baroque pulpit and baptismal font from 1715. The tower is built in 1861. Most of the buildings in the area are from the 1880s, with the addition of some apartment blocks from the 1930s. Gustav Jensen was appointed a curate at the church in 1874. Knud Karl Krogh-Tonning was parish priest at the church from 1886 to 1900. [5] [6]
The church was built over the former site of the Akerberg mines (Akersberg gruve), an ancient silver mine which was in use since the early Viking Age. The mines are mentioned in the 1170 Historia Norvegiae . The existence of these former mines must have been the inspiration for a number of local stories about the church having hidden silver treasures and even dungeons with dragons. [7] [8] [9]
With the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War in April 1940, King Haakon VII and his family left for England on the British cruiser HMS Glasgow, not knowing when or even if they would return. On 19 April 1940, the coffin of the king's late wife Queen Maud of Norway, who had died unexpectedly in London in 1938, was moved in secret to Old Aker Church, on the instructions of Eivind Josef Berggrav, Bishop of Oslo and Primate of the Church of Norway, and Hofmarschall Peter Broch. Her body was left undiscovered in the crypt, covered in a hidden tomb, until 1949, when her remains were finally interred in the Royal Mausoleum at Akershus Castle. [10]
Old Aker Cemetery (Norwegian : Gamle Aker kirkegård) is the cemetery of Old Aker Church. Like the church, the cemetery dates back to the Middle Ages. The cemetery is located adjacent to the newer Cemetery of Our Saviour, which was established in 1808. [11] Several notable people are interred in the cemetery. [12]
Oslo Cathedral — formerly Our Savior's Church — is the main church for the Church of Norway Diocese of Oslo, as well as the parish church for downtown Oslo. The present building dates from 1694 to 1697.
Heinrich Ernst Schirmer was a German-born architect most noted for his work in Norway. Schirmer worked in Norway from 1838 to 1883 and left his mark on a number of public buildings. He contributed significantly to the introduction of the so-called Swiss architectural style in Norway, based partly on Italian villa style, Gothic Revival, and neoclassicism.
Hoff Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Østre Toten Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Kraby, just east of the municipal centre of Lena. It is the church for the Hoff parish which is part of the Toten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar. The white, stone church was built in a long church design during the 12th century using plans drawn up by an unknown architect. The church seats about 332 people.
Høvåg is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The 77 km2 (30 sq mi) municipality existed from 1865 until its dissolution in 1962. It was located in the southern part of the present-day municipality of Lillesand which is now in Agder county. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Høvåg where the Høvåg Church is located. Old coastal settlements in Høvåg include Ulvøysund, Gamle Hellesund, Skottevik, Kjøbmannsvig and Åkerøyhamn. The village of Høvåg is located midway between the towns of Lillesand and Kristiansand.
Aker was a former independent municipality in Akershus, Norway, that constitutes the vast majority of the territory of the modern city of Oslo.
Søren Wilhelm Thorne was a Norwegian priest and politician.
Andreas Friedrich Wilhelm von Hanno was a German-born Norwegian architect, sculptor and painter. He was among the leading architects in Norway during the middle of the 1800s.
Holmen Church is the principal parish church for Sigdal municipality in the Diocese of Tunsberg. It is located at Prestfoss in Sigdal municipality, Buskerud county, Norway. Holmen Church is situated on a rocky mound with deciduous forest on the north side of the river Simoa. Access to the church is via Fv133 and Rv287.
Fiskum is a parish in the municipality Øvre Eiker in Buskerud, Norway.
Havstein Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Trondheim municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the Sverresborg area on the western side of the Nidelva river in the city of Trondheim. It is one of the churches for the Sverresborg parish which is part of the Heimdal og Byåsen prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros. The gray, stone church was built in a long church style in 1857 and designed by the architects Heinrich Ernst Schirmer and Wilhelm von Hanno. The church seats about 200 people.
Old Sakshaug Church is a preserved, former parish church of the Church of Norway in Inderøy municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Sakshaug, just west of the municipal centre of Straumen. It is the former main church for the Inderøy parish which is part of the Stiklestad prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros. The stone church was built in a long church style around the year 1184 using plans drawn up by an unknown architect. The church seats about 200 people.
For Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Steinkjer municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in Stod, just southwest of the village of Binde. It is the church for the Stod parish which is part of the Stiklestad prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros. The white, plastered stone church was built in a long church style in 1846 using plans drawn up by the architect Hans Linstow (1787–1851). The church seats about 400 people.
Dovre Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Dovre Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Dovre. It is the church for the Dovre parish which is part of the Nord-Gudbrandsdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar. The slate-clad, wooden church was built in an cruciform design in 1736 using plans drawn up by the architect Jesper Rusten. The church seats about 250 people.
Eidsberg Church is a parish church located at Eidsberg in Østfold county, Norway. The Church is located down to the river Glomma by the side of the County Road 124. Eidsberg Church is associated with the Østre Borgesyssel deanery of the Diocese of Borg.
Ullern Church is a cruciform Romanesque church on the Holgerslyst property in the Ullern borough of Oslo, Norway. It is the parish church for the Ullern congregation in the Vestre Aker Deanery of the Diocese of Oslo.
Saint Mark's Church is a church in the St. Hanshaugen district of Oslo, Norway, completed in 1927. The church has entrances from Schwensen Street no. 15 and on Ullevål Street no. 41.
Vestre Aker Church is a church at Ullevaal in Oslo that was consecrated in 1855. The church was at first named Aker Church, but was renamed to Vestre Aker Church in 1861.
Østre Aker Church is a parish church at the neighborhood of Ulven in northeastern part of Oslo, Norway. The church building from 1860 in neo-Gothic style has exterior walls of brick, while the interior walls are covered with wood. The master masonry brothers Carl, Ferdinand and Albert Unger was commissioned to make the church the most alike Vestre Aker Church as possible. Østre Aker Church was consecrated 5 September 1860 with, among others, Prince Oscar present. Electricity was installed in 1925 and the church got chandeliers in 1928. Architect Helge Thiis was at the same time commissioned to make changes to improve the church interior.
Bygdøy Church is a church that was built in a fan plan in 1968 on the peninsula of Bygdøy in Oslo, Norway. It replaced the Bygdøy chapel, which burned ten years earlier.
Tingelstad Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Gran Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Tingelstad. It is one of the churches for the Gran/Tingelstad parish which is part of the Hadeland og Land prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar. The red brick church was built in a long church design in 1866 using plans drawn up by the architects Heinrich Ernst Schirmer and Wilhelm von Hanno. The church seats about 450 people.
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