Gamlebyen Church

Gamlebyen Church
Gamlebyen kirke
59°54′11.07″N 10°46′3.94″E / 59.9030750°N 10.7677611°E / 59.9030750; 10.7677611Coordinates: 59°54′11.07″N 10°46′3.94″E / 59.9030750°N 10.7677611°E / 59.9030750; 10.7677611
Location	Ekebergveien 1, Old Town, Oslo,
Country	Norway
Denomination	Owned by: Oslo University Hospital Leased by Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
Website	https://kirken.no/gamlebyenoggronland
History
Former name(s)	Oslo Church Oslo Hospital's Church
Founded	1290
Consecrated	1939
Architecture
Completed	1796
Specifications
Materials	Brick and stone
Administration
Parish	Gamlebyen og Grønland Parish 01.01.2013
Diocese	Diocese of Oslo

Gamlebyen Church is a private church, belonging to Oslo University Hospital and is also called Oslo Hospital's Church, located in the old town^[1] of Oslo, Norway. It is leased to the Diocese of Oslo of the Church of Norway and serves as the parish church for the Gamlebyen parish in Oslo. Up to 1925 it had the name Oslo Church, but when the city changed its name from Kristiania to Oslo, the church got the present name. The present church building is listed in 1796 partly on the foundations of the Franciscan monastery church built around 1290.^[2][3] The church is located at the foot of the north-facing slope Ekeberg, across the street from the Gamlebyen Cemetery.^[4] The chapel at the cemetery is abandoned as a burial chapel and leased to the Ethiopian community in Oslo. At funerals, the church itself is now used instead.

History

View of Christiania (Oslo) 1800, with the Old Town and Gamlebyen Church nearest, from Boydell's picturesque scenery of Norway by John William Edy

The abbey Church which was built towards the end of the 1200s, was one of Oslo's earliest buildings constructed of brick which came from Duke Hakon's brickworks on the banks of the Alna River.

After the Protestant Reformation in 1536 the church was converted into a hospital.^[5]

In 1567, during the Swedish attack, the first church was destroyed. On the ruins of the abbey, the building was divided into several floors and served thereafter as a hospital building with a church on the first floor. The house now known as the "stone building" was added later. This is regarded today as the oldest hospital building. During the 1700s there were also several buildings, including "Dollhuset" for psychiatric patients.

Gamlebyen Church and the "stone building" from 1737 as seen from the south

In 1734, a new church was built on the foundations of the nave. After the last fire on 13 January 1794 the church was rebuilt in Louis XVI style two years later, again in brick. The old medieval choir was demolished and replaced with a tower that stands there today. The newly built church was opened on 11 May 1796. In the 1800s the church was rebuilt several times. In the period 1934-1939, it was renovated by architect William K. Essendrop, reestablishing its earlier appearance. The flat murtaket was replaced with an arched vault, and a new sacristy was built. The church was reopened on Christmas Eve 1939, in the presence of King Haakon VII.^[6]

Today's church

The church has seating for just 200 people. It is one of the oldest churches in Oslo that is still in use. The main building is from 1796. The Stone Building is from 1737.^[7] In 1880, seating was added and changes were made to the altar and pulpit. From 1934 to 1939, extensive restoration reestablished the look of 1796. The pulpit from 1880 hangs above the altar but is not in use.^[8]

References