Bamble Church

Historie

Bamble Church is a wooden church in the Bamble municipality of Telemark, Norway. The church was built in 1845 as a timber cruciform church.The modern church is built next to the ruins of St. Olav's Church, a much older stone church, probably constructed before 1150.Architecture and RestorationThe church is built in a simple form, following a design by Gustav Adolph Lammers, the vicar of Bamble. It is considered Norway's first neo-Gothic church, but also bears traces of contemporary local building traditions.The church was restored in 1902, receiving the new tower that gives the church its current appearance. The restoration and reconstruction was led by architect Hjalmar Welhaven.In 1985 the church was again restored, and received, among other things, a reversed color setting to what it had been in 1902.ContentsThe 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.The church elders inventory includes an exemplar of Christian III's Bible from 1550 and brass candlesticks that feudal lord Ove Gjedde bestowed the old church in 1643.