Werner Olsen
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Werner Olsen ( 1600 – 1682) was a Norwegian church builder and a tower builder with a legendary reputation. He is also known as Werner Olsen Skurdal in reference to the last residence he lived at.


Life

Olsen was born in
Ringsaker Ringsaker () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Br ...
. He lived during a turning point in Norwegian church-building history. He participated in rebuilding many churches, and was a builder that found good solutions to his tasks both technically and architecturally. Olsen was very active in the
Gudbrand Valley Gudbrandsdalen (; ) is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland). The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake of Mjøsa, extending toward the Romsdalen val ...
. For a while he lived at Øvre Gaalaas in Furnes. In 1647 he worked at Odenrud in
Sør-Fron Sør-Fron is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hundorp. Other villages in the municipality include Gålå, Ha ...
, where he was nicknamed ''mester Werner tårnbygger'' 'Master Werner the tower-builder'. He gave up his leasehold in 1665 and shortly thereafter purchased the Sygard Skurdal farm in Sør-Fron, where he lived until his death in 1682. Little is known about construction activity in Norway at the time in general, and little is known about Werner Olsen's early life. He may have learned his timbering skills in Denmark or Germany, or there may also have been more craftsmen engaged in this work in Norway than is known today.


Known works

Werner Olsen's first documented building project was the conversion of
Vågå Church Vågå Church () is a historic stave church. It is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Vågå Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Vågåmo. It is the church for the Vågå parish which is part of the No ...
to a cruciform church in 1626–1628. It is a timber-framed building, in which material from the earlier stave church was reused. The basic plan is a Latin cross. The tower stands above the center of the cross, with a tall main tower and four small side towers, a legacy of Gothic tower architecture. Olsen used the same plan when he converted
Ringebu Stave Church Ringebu Stave Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ringebu Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Ringebu in the Gudbrandsdalen valley. It is the church for the Ringebu parish which is part of ...
into a cruciform church in 1630–1631. There the old stave church became the basis for the layout of the Latin cross. The technique is a paneled timbering, in which the timbering is marked by extensive use of slanted rails at a 45° angle up and down at the timber posts. The stave church has an elevated central area, and the basilica-like form was also continued in the timbering in the extension. The new parts thus coordinate well with the old parts of the church. As with Vågå Church, Olsen added a tall tower with four small side towers. In 1630, Olsen also built a new tower for his childhood church, Nes Church in
Hedmark Hedmark () was a Counties of Norway, county in Norway from 1 January 1919 to 31 December 2019, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar. Hedmar ...
. That tower was destroyed in a fire in 1770 caused by a lightning strike. In 1634, Olsen worked for the first time in Lom, where he extended the stave church's nave to the west using the log construction technique. He also raised the central part of
Lom Stave Church Lom Stave Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Lom municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Fossbergom in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. It is the church for the Lom parish which is p ...
, and the basilica-like form was extended into the log-construction additions. In 1635 Olsen was active at Dale Church in Luster, where he added a new tower to the church. The tower has not been preserved. He is also credited with building a tower on
Nidaros Cathedral Nidaros Cathedral () is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county. It is built over the burial site of Olav II of Norway, King Olav II ( 995–1030, reigned 1015–1028), who became the patron saint of th ...
in
Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...
in 1638. In 1652 Olsen built a new high tower at
Ringsaker Church Ringsaker Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ringsaker Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Moelv. It is the church for the Ringsaker parish which is part of the Ringsaker prosti (deanery) ...
, but the tower was destroyed by winds in 1669. In 1652 he built a new tower on Follebu Church in
Gausdal Gausdal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Segelstad bru. Other villages in Gausdal include Follebu, Forse ...
, where his initials are carved into one of the roof's rafter posts. In 1663, Lom Stave Church was further expanded, and Olsen was again engaged to carry out the construction work. A
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
was built, constructed with a timbering technique that partially reused material from the stave church. Reusing the material was economically sound, and it also provided a good connection between the original and new parts. In addition to the transept, a new tower was also built, of the same type as that at Vågå Church and Ringebu Stave Church.


Attributed works

Werner Olsen's reputation as a church builder has led to him being credited with most of the construction carried out in the Gudbrand Valley during his time. Work on
Fåberg Church Fåberg Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Lillehammer Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Fåberg. It is the church for the Fåberg parish which is part of the Sør-Gudbrandsdal prosti (d ...
, Listad Church in Sør-Fron, Kvam Church in
Nord-Fron Nord-Fron is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vi ...
, and
Lesja Church Lesja Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Lesja Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Lesja. It is the church for the Lesja og Lesjaskog parish which is part of the Nord-Gudbrandsdal prosti ...
has been attributed to him. None of this work has been preserved and the source material is scant. Olsen's son Oluf Wernersen carried on the tower-building tradition in the family.


References


External links


Werner Olson at ''Norsk kunstnerleksikon''

Werner Olson at ''Norsk biografisk leksikon''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olsen, Werner 17th-century Norwegian architects 1600s births 1682 deaths Norwegian ecclesiastical architects