Gimsøy Church (Telemark) Explained

Gimsøy Church
Fullname:Gimsøy kirke
Coordinates:59.1919°N 9.6043°W
Location:Skien Municipality,
Telemark
Country:Norway
Churchmanship:Evangelical Lutheran
Denomination:Church of Norway
Diocese:Agder og Telemark
Parish:Gimsøy og Nenset
Status:Parish church
Functional Status:Active
Founded Date:1922
Consecrated Date:10 December 1922
Architect:Gunnar Norby
Architectural Type:Long church
Materials:Stone
Capacity:200

Gimsøy Church (Norwegian: Gimsøy kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Skien Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the Gimsøy area of the town of Skien. It is one of the churches for the Gimsøy og Nenset parish which is part of the Skien prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The gray, stone church was built in a long church design in 1922 using plans drawn up by the architect Gunnar Norby. The church seats about 200 people.[1] [2] [3]

History

Gimsøy Abbey was a large farm owner and powerful entity in the Skien area during the Middle Ages. It was located on the island of Gimsøy which was located in the Farelva river (now the island is known as Klosterøya, meaning "Abbey Island"). The Abbey was closed after the Reformation and then it burned down in 1546, with no trace of it left today. After the town of Skien was enlarged in 1916, it became important for this area to have its own chapel and cemetery. The cemetery was built first — in 1919 — and then the chapel followed a couple of years later on a site about to the southwest of the old Abbey site. The new Gimsøy Chapel was designed by Gunnar Nordby and it was consecrated on 10 December 1922. The new chapel was built as a long church out of plastered stone. The choir has an apse on its east end and it's surrounded by a sacristy. The church was restored in 1972, when windows with stained glass were inserted in the choir wall.[4] [5]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gimsøy kirke, Skien . 2022-12-23 . Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen.
  2. Web site: Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker . 2022-12-23 . KirkeKonsulenten.no . Norwegian.
  3. Book: Rasmussen, Alf Henry . Våre kirker: Norsk kirkeleksikon . Vanebo forlag . 8275270227 . Kirkenær, Norge . 500 . Norwegian . 2022-12-23.
  4. Web site: Gimsøy kirkested / Gimsøy kirke 2 . 2022-12-23 . . Norwegian.
  5. Web site: Gimsøy kirke . Norges-Kirker.no . 2022-12-23 . Norwegian.