Stavanger Cathedral

Coordinates: 58°58′11″N 5°43′59″E / 58.969787°N 5.733162°E / 58.969787; 5.733162

Stavanger Cathedral (Stavanger domkirke) is Norway's oldest cathedral. It is situated in the middle of Stavanger, and is the seat of the Diocese of Stavanger.

History

Bishop Reinald, who may have come from Winchester, is said to have started construction of the Cathedral around 1100. It was finished around 1150, and the city of Stavanger counts 1125 as its year of foundation. The Cathedral was consecrated to Swithin as its patron saint. Saint Swithun was an early Bishop of Winchester and subsequently patron saint of Winchester Cathedral. ^[1]

Stavanger was ravaged by fire in 1272, and the Cathedral suffered heavy damage. It was rebuilt under bishop Arne, and the Romanesque Cathedral was enlarged in the Gothic style.

In 1682, king Christian V decided to move Stavanger's episcopal seat to Kristiansand. However, on Stavanger's 800th anniversary in 1925, king Haakon VII instated Jacob Christian Petersen as Stavanger's first bishop in nearly 250 years.

During a renovation in the 1860s, the Cathedral's exterior and interior was considerably altered. The stone walls were plastered, and the Cathedral lost much of its medieval looks. A major restoration led by Gerhard Fischer in 1939-1964 partly reversed those changes. The latest major restoration of the Cathedral was conducted in 1999. Andrew Lawrenceson Smith is famous for his works here.

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  Exterior view.

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  Front view.

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  Interior view.

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  Rear view (east end).

See also

• List of bishops of Stavanger
• List of cathedrals in Norway

References

1. ↑ Ancient See of Stavanger (Catholic Encyclopedia)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stavanger cathedral.

External links

• Stavanger Cathedral
• Stavanger Aftenblad: Virtual Tour

Cathedrals of the Church of Norway Bergen Bodø Fredrikstad Hamar Kristiansand Molde Nidaros Oslo Stavanger Tønsberg Tromsø

Church of Norway churches in the city of Stavanger in Rogaland county, Norway Stavanger arch-deanery Stavanger Cathedral Bekkefaret Frue Hundvåg Kampen St. Johannes St. Petri Stokka Tjensvoll Varden Ytre Stavanger deanery Austre Åmøy Gausel Hillevåg Hinna Madlamark Revheim Sunde Tasta Vardeneset