Grimstad Church

Grimstad Church (Norwegian: Grimstad kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Grimstad Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the town of Grimstad. It is the church for the Grimstad parish which is part of the Vest-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The large, green, wooden church was built in a cruciform design in 1881 using plans drawn up by the architect Henrik Thrap-Meyer. The church seats about 1,000 people, making it one of the largest wooden churches in Norway.[1][2]

Grimstad Church
Grimstad kirke
View of the church
58.3432°N 08.5952°E
Location	Grimstad Municipality, Agder
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	1849
Consecrated	7 Apr 1881
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Henrik Thrap-Meyer
Architectural type	Cruciform
Style	Neo-Gothic
Completed	1881
Specifications
Capacity	1,000
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Grimstad
Deanery	Vest-Nedenes prosti
Diocese	Agder og Telemark
Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site
Type	Church
Status	Listed
ID	84422

History

The first church in the growing town of Grimstad was built in 1849 on a prominent hill overlooking the harbour. The new church was consecrated on 2 December 1849. The church was designed by the architect Wilhelm Hanstein. The church was not very large, so it was quickly outgrown by the town. There was also a cemetery surrounding the church, but just like the original church, it quickly filled up and it is no longer used. A new cemetery was opened in Frivoll in 1872 and it has been in use since that time. In 1881, the church building was disassembled and moved to the nearby parish of Nedenes and it was rebuilt to become the Engene Church (in present-day Arendal).[3]

After the old church was taken away, a new, much larger church was built in Grimstad and it was consecrated on 7 April 1881. The new church was quite large, making it the third largest wooden church in Norway (after Mandal Church and Vågan Church). Originally, the church was said to seat 1,150 but with today's fire codes, it is now said to seat up to 1,000 people.[3]

This was the first Neo-Gothic church in Norway to have its exterior paint examined in the 1960s. After discovering the original colors, the parish had the church repainted to its original colors of a light green with contrasting trim painted in yellow and red ochre.[1]

Media gallery

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  Grimstad's first church (1849-1881)

See also

• List of churches in Agder og Telemark

References

1. "Grimstad kirke". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
3. "Grimstad kirke" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 11 November 2017.