Bodin Church

Bodin Church (Norwegian: Bodin kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Bodø Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the southeastern part of the town of Bodø. It is the main church for the Bodin parish which is part of the Bodø domprosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland. The white, stone church was built in a long church style around the year 1240 by an unknown architect. The church seats about 300 people.[1][2][3]

Bodin Church
Bodin kirke
View of the church
Bodin Church Location of the church Show map of Nordland Bodin Church Bodin Church (Norway) Show map of Norway
67.2741°N 14.4348°E / 67.2741; 14.4348
Location	Bodø, Nordland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Previous denomination	Catholic Church
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Unknown
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	c. 1240
Specifications
Capacity	300
Materials	Stone
Administration
Parish	Bodin
Deanery	Bodø domprosti
Diocese	Sør-Hålogaland

History

Bodin Church was built as nave church around the year 1240 and was enlarged in 1785 with a transept and it now seats about 300 people. In 1894, the entire section of the medieval church was torn down and rebuilt in the same style. The church has a stone altar from the 14th century and some wooden sculptures dating from the late 15th century to the early 16th century.[4][5]

The church is characterized today largely by an interior from the 17th and 18th century. The chandeliers date from the 1760s. In 2003, the church received a replica of a Baroque organ from the 1700s.

The altarpiece is from 1670. The pulpit is from the 17th century with paintings from 1753 by German born artist Gottfried Ezekiel (ca. 1719-1798) who was engaged by parish priest Nicolaus Christian Friis. Ezekiel first received a commission as a painter in Bergen during 1744. Dating from 1751 he arrived in northern Norway, where he painted a number of church altarpieces.[6][7]

Gallery

• 
  Front entrance
• 
  Side view
• 
  Side and steeple
• 
  Sanctuary and pulpit
• 
  Altar
• 
  Altarpiece
• 
  Organ and choir loft
• 
  Altarpiece detail

See also

• List of churches in Nordland

References

1. "Bodin kirke". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
3. "Bodin Kirke" (in Norwegian). Kirka i Bodø. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2012-03-19.
4. Storsletten, Ola, ed. (2009-02-14). "Bodin kirke". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
5. "Bodin kirkested" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2018-11-03.
6. "Historien bak altertavla i Bodin kirke". Bodin Menighet. Retrieved 2017-10-01.
7. Sigrid Christie. "Gottfried Ezekiel". Norsk kunstnerleksikon. Retrieved 2016-10-01.

Related reading

• Eilertsen, Turid Følling (1990). Bodin kirke 750 år: "hvor elskelig dine boliger er..." (in Norwegian). Bodø: Bodin menighetsråd. ISBN 8290412827.