Old Aker Church

Oslo, Norway

Old Aker Church (Gamle Aker kirke) is Oslo's oldest remaining building and the only remaining church from the Middle Ages. It is assumed that it was built around the year 1150. It is a stone church, built as a three-naved Roman-style basilica.

The church has been pillaged and ravaged by fire several times. The oldest part of the surrounding churchyard dates back to the 12th century. The church has a baroque pulpit and baptismal font from 1715. The tower was built in 1861.

The church was built over an old silver mine, Akersberg which was in use since the early Viking age. The mines are mentioned in the 1170 Historia Norvegiae. The mines must have been the inspiration for a number of stories about the church having hidden silver treasures and even dungeons with dragons.

References:

Address

Telthusbakken 13B, Oslo, Norway

See all sites in Oslo

Details

Founded: c. 1150
Category: Religious sites in Norway

More Information

www.visitoslo.com
en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Oscarsborg Fortress (28,9 km)
Sister Churches (50,7 km)
St. Margaret's Church (8,1 km)
Hurum Church (38 km)
Nesodden Church (13,5 km)
Haslum Church (10,1 km)
Grorud Church (8,6 km)
Ski Church (23,3 km)
Karljohansvern (56,4 km)

User Reviews

Chris Bartlett (3 years ago)
What an amazing church. Went there for a wedding. Visit if you can just to see one of the oldest buildings in Oslo. It is worth it. Simple beautiful

Goran A. (3 years ago)
As it is a little away from the center, walking to it is definitely worth as it is one interesting building that has somewhat traditional church architecture, but the interior is very captivating as it has very thick columns and quite good religious atmosphere.

xench (3 years ago)
Oldest church in Oslo, worth the visit when you’re nearby, has a cemetery included.

Denis Sakhno (4 years ago)
We were fascinated by this old church and the street that leads to it - Telthusbakken

Marie F. (5 years ago)
The oldest standing medieval building in Oslo is Gamle Aker church, beautiful and unforgettable. Old cemetery with spectacular view over city.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright Christian Lauw

Historic Site of the week

Wieskirche

The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.

The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.

The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.