Søm Church ( no, Søm kirke) is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activitie ...

of the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. ...

Kristiansand Municipality Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporation ...

Agder Agder is a county (''fylke'') and traditional region in the southern part of Norway. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder counties were merged. Since the early 1900s, the term Sørlandet ("sou ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. It is located in the district of

Søm Søm is a district in the city of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. With a population of about 9,500 (2022), it is the third largest district in Kristiansand. The district is a part of the borough of Oddernes. Søm has borders with the di ...

in the borough of

Oddernes Oddernes is a borough in the city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The borough covers eastern Kristiansand on the east side of the Topdalsfjorden and the Varodd Bridge. The borough include ...

in the city of Kristiansand. It is one of the churches for the Randesund

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

which is part of the

Kristiansand domprosti This list of churches in Agder og Telemark is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark in Agder and Vestfold og Telemark counties in southern Norway. The diocese is based at the Kristiansand Cathedral in the ...

(arch-

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or reside ...

) in the

Diocese of Agder og Telemark The Diocese of Agder og Telemark ( no, Agder og Telemark bispedømme) is a diocese of the Church of Norway, covering all of Agder county and most of Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. The cathedral city is Kristiansand, Norway's fifth la ...

. The red brick church was built in a fan-shaped design in 2004 using plans drawn up by the

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s Arild Lauvland and Arne Åmland. The church seats about 450 people, but it can be expanded to seat up to about 650 people.

History

The foundation stone was laid in January 2000 and over the next few years, the church was constructed. The church was

consecrate Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

d on 28 November 2004.

Interior art

The stained glass windows were made by artist

Kjell Nupen Kjell Nupen (September 5, 1955 – March 12, 2014) was a Norwegian contemporary artist. He was a painter, sculptor and graphic artist. Early years Kjell Nupen had his professional breakthrough very early. At just 17 years old, he was admitted to ...

on the theme: "From darkness to light". The stained glass extends from the

altar An altar is a Table (furniture), table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of wo ...

up to the ceiling and through the nave to the front door. The side windows have stained glass as well. A total of of wall space is covered by the stained glass window. One large and several smaller

tapestries Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...

were created by textile artist

Else Marie Jakobsen Else Marie Jakobsen (28 February 1927 – 12 December 2012) was a Norwegian designer and textile artist. Biography Jakobsen was born and raised in Kristiansand, Norway. She graduated from Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry (n ...

Media gallery

Søm kirke 0983 2017.jpg, Søm Church as seen from the north Søm kirke 0985 hovedinngang krukke.jpg, The main entrance - the jar to the left was created by artist Kjell Nupen Søm kirke kontor 0989.jpg, The entrance to the offices Søm kirke 1 003 bell tower.jpg, The bell tower (detail)

References

External links

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Photographs by architect Arne Åmland
{{DEFAULTSORT:Som Church Churches in Kristiansand Brick churches in Norway 21st-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 2004 2004 establishments in Norway

History

Interior art

Media gallery

See also

References

External links