Kristiansand Cathedral

Kristiansand, Norway

Kristiansand Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Agder and Telemark in the Church of Norway. It is a Neo-Gothic church completed in 1885 and designed by the architect Henrik Thrap-Meyer. It is the third cathedral built in the town of Kristiansand and one of the largest cathedrals in Norway. The cathedral is 70m long and 39m wide, and the only tower is 70m high. Originally the cathedral had 2,029 seats and room for 1,216 standees, but seating has now been reduced to 1,300.To re-use the walls of the previous cathedral, which burned down in 1880, the altar was positioned at the west end, rather than in the traditional position in the east.

The cathedral is in the same location as three previous buildings. The first, called Trinity Church, was built in 1645 and was a small wooden church. When Kristiansand was appointed the seat of the diocese in 1682, construction began on the town's first cathedral, called Our Savior's Church. That first cathedral, built in stone, was consecrated in 1696, but burned down in 1734. The second cathedral, consecrated in 1738, was destroyed by a fire that affected the whole city, on 18 December 1880. When the 1940 Nazi German attack on Kristiansand took place early in the morning of 9 April 1940, the 70-metre cathedral tower was hit by a grenade, which fortunately only damaged the upper part.

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Founded: 1885
Category: Religious sites in Norway

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4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Marcus Schuler (2 years ago)
Beautiful church in the heart of Kristiansand. The entrance fee is worth it. When we were inside, we were lucky enough to attend a small concert. Such acoustics in such a church is something special. But even without a concert, you can take a look inside and maybe pause for a moment.
Giuseppe Risino (2 years ago)
A Lutheran cathedral with an inner beauty in its simplicity, very peaceful and welcoming, very lucky to be there during a very beautiful organ recital
AeroBuz (2 years ago)
Kristiaand Cathedral was re-built in the late 1800s following yet another fire that burned most of the buildings in the historic center. it is very beautiful both externally (neo-gothic style) and internally. Note the organ which is widely used for concerts which are often performed in the Cathedral. In the entrance vestibule, paintings show the urban layout of the city at various historical moments. Very central.
Peter Abimana (3 years ago)
In God we Trust
prabin rai (3 years ago)
Loved to be here often...The peacefulness inside the Church is incomparable to anything else.
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