Engene Church (Norwegian: Engene kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Arendal Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of Nedenes. It is one of the churches for the Øyestad parish which is part of the Arendal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The white, wooden church was built in a long church design in 1882 using plans originally drawn up by the architect Wilhelm Hanstein. The church seats about 480 people.[1][2]

Engene Church
Engene kirke
View of the church
Map
58°24′06″N 8°41′35″E / 58.4016695°N 08.6931225°E / 58.4016695; 08.6931225
LocationArendal Municipality,
Agder
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
Former name(s)Nedenesengene kirke
StatusParish church
Founded1882
Consecrated1882
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Wilhelm Hanstein
Architectural typeLong church
Completed1849 (175 years ago) (1849)
Specifications
Capacity480
MaterialsWood
Administration
DioceseAgder og Telemark
DeaneryArendal prosti
ParishØyestad
TypeChurch
StatusListed
ID84096

History edit

 
View of the church when it was located in Grimstad (1849–1881)

The church was first built in the town of Grimstad in 1849 using designs by the architect Wilhelm Hanstein where it was called Grimstad Church. It was likely the first church built in Southern Norway in the Swiss chalet style. The church has a large distinctive tower above the main entrance.[3]

In 1881, the town had grown and the church was too small, so it was disassembled and moved to the nearby village of Nedenes and rebuilt there in 1882 as the new "Nedenesengene Church", but its name was later shortened to simply "Engene Church". In 1990, the interior was repainted a gray-violet color following the recommendations from the National Heritage Board since it is believed that was the original color of the church's interior.[3][4]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Engene kirke". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Engene kirke". Norges-Kirker.no (in Norwegian). 28 December 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Engene kirkested" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 23 January 2021.