Bergen Cathedral

Bergen Cathedral (Norwegian: Bergen domkirke) is a cathedral in the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. It is the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Bjørgvin as well as the seat of the "Bergen domkirke" parish and the seat of the Bergen domprosti (arch-deanery). It is part of the Church of Norway. The first recorded historical reference to this church is dated 1181. It retains its ancient dedication to Saint Olaf. The cathedral seats about 900 people.[1][2][3]

Bergen Cathedral
Bergen domkirke
View of the cathedral
Bergen Cathedral
Location of the church
Bergen Cathedral
Bergen Cathedral (Norway)
60.3939°N 5.3305°E / 60.3939; 5.3305
LocationBergen, Vestland
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
Previous denominationCatholic Church
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
FoundedBefore 1181
EventsRenovated several
times, most recently
in the 1880s
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Christian Christie
(1880s renovation)
Architectural typeLong church
Completedc. 1250
Specifications
Capacity900
MaterialsStone
Administration
ParishBergen domkirke
DeaneryBergen domprosti
DioceseBjørgvin bispedømme
TypeChurch
StatusAutomatically protected
ID83876

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1181, when the peasant chief Jon Kutiza attacked King Sverre in Bergen. According to Sverris saga, some of Sverre's men then fled into the church (then known as Olavskirken because it was dedicated to Saint Olaf). At that time, the church was probably a regular parish church, but later, during the reign of King Haakon IV of Norway (1217–63), Franciscan monks must have taken over the church and built a friary by it. The medieval cathedral was instead Christ Church at Bergenhus Fortress, a medieval royal residence in Bergen.

The first church built here had a long church design in the Romanesque style. The nave measured about 20 by 13 metres (66 ft × 43 ft) and the choir was 9 by 18 metres (30 ft × 59 ft) including the apse. Not much else is known about the first stone church on this site.[4]

The old church burned down in 1248 during a large city-wide fire and afterwards, a new stone church was built on the same site. Part of the north wall of the old church was salvaged and incorporated into the new church design. There was another fire in the church in 1270 and Magnus Lagabøte financed the repairs afterwards. In 1463, it burned down again, but it was not fully reconstructed until the 1550s. In 1537, it was decided that the church would be the new cathedral for the diocese to replace the old cathedral at Holmen which was demolished in 1531. Despite being declared the cathedral of the post-Reformation Protestant diocese, the church was not fully rebuilt after the fire in 1463. Bergen's first Protestant bishop, Gjeble Pederssøn, arranged for the completion of the church and it was completed before his death in 1557.[4][5][6]

After the fires of 1623 and 1640, Bergen Cathedral received its current general appearance. The steeple on the nave that was built by Bishop Pederssøn, was torn down, and the current tower on the west end was built. In 1702, there was an extensive renovation and restoration project that was undertaken after another city-wide fire. During the renovation in the 1880s, under the direction of architects Christian Christie and Peter Andreas Blix, the Rococo interiors were restored to their former medieval appearance.[4][6]

As part of the Second Anglo-Dutch War, the 1665 Battle of Vågen took place in the main port area of Bergen. A cannonball from the sea battle between the English and Dutch fleets remains embedded in the cathedral's exterior wall.[7][8]

Music

The present organ at Bergen Cathedral, by Rieger Orgelbau, is from 1997. The organ is the fifth one in the cathedral's history; the first known organ was installed in 1549.[9] The cathedral is used regularly for musical concerts.

  • Exterior
  • Sanctuary
  • Exterior window
  • Cannonball in the wall
  • Interior support pillars
  • Window
  • Tower
  • Altar
  • Choir loft
  • Organ
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See also

References
  1. "Bergen domkirke". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  3. Welcome to Bergen Cathedral - St Olav's Church, Cathedral tourist guide leaflet, 2011
  4. "Bergen domkirke / Olavskirken i Vågsbotn" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  5. Hartvedt, Gunnar Hagen (1994). "Domkirken". Bergen Byleksikon. pp. 157–158.
  6. Magerøy, Ellen Marie; Lidén, Hans-Emil. "Bergen domkirke". Norges Kirker. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  7. "Vrakrestene etter slaget på Vågen". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). 7 January 2005. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  8. "Bergen Domkirke". Bergenskartet. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  9. Skreien, Norvall (1999). Bergen kulturguide. Kunnskapsforlaget. p. 22. ISBN 8257309893.

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