Skien Church

Skien Church
Skien kirke Grenlandskatedralen
59°12′37″N 9°36′23″E / 59.21028°N 9.60639°ECoordinates: 59°12′37″N 9°36′23″E / 59.21028°N 9.60639°E
Location	Skien, Telemark
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
Website	www.skienkirke.no
History
Consecrated	August 31, 1894
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Martin Hagbarth Schytte-Berg
Style	Neo Gothic Jugendstil
Specifications
Capacity	1200
Materials	Brick
Administration
Parish	Skien
Diocese	Diocese of Agder og Telemark

Skien Church is a Neo-Gothic church from 1894, located in Skien, Telemark county in Norway. The church is the main church in Skien and has 1,200 seats. The church is 47 meters long with a tower height of 68 meters for two twin towers, the interior height is 17 meters. The church was designed by architect Martin Hagbarth Schytte-Berg. Inspiration was taken from the German architects John Vollmer and John Otzens. The church was consecrated on August 31, 1894 by Bishop Johan Christian Heuch (Church of Norway) of the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

The organ in Skien Church is one of the largest in Norway with over 5000 pipes.

The church organ in Skien Church

Skien Church has a combination of Neo-Gothic pointed arches and circular arches. In the chancel arch we see the arch, transept has also pointed arches at the top, while the galleries and the longitudinal side ships have round arches. The artistic decoration in Skien Church is primarily characterized by stained-glass windows in the choir, transept, baptism sacristy, and the ornamentation on the walls and ceilings.

Former churches

A building known as Skien Old Church used to exist on the marketplace but was lost in the great fire of 1886. An interim church was erected on Marensro.^[1] The interim church was converted to a school building when a new and more adequate church was erected in brick on the Lie in 1894. The temporary church was demolished by the municipality of Skien on 31 March 2011.^[2]

Building of the current church

The current church was built on the basis of expectations that Skien would become a seat of a bishop and that the new church was to become Cathedral, which did not occur. During the World War II the parish was redefined by the occupation Quisling government, and was called Skien Cathedral up to the war was over and the former, geographical division of dioceses was reinstated.^[3]

External links

• Official website

References

1. Telemarksavisas article Skiens ukjente kirke in Norwegian.
2. Telemarksavisa, pictures of demolishing Skiens old interim church in Norwegian
3. History and facts: The Church of Skien (Skien Municipality, in English)