6 Sacred & Religious Sites in Telemark That You Shouldn't Miss

Bo's Old Church belongs to a series of stone churches built in round, Romantic style in Norway from the early middle ages. Several of such churches can be found in Telemark, such as in Seljord, Kviteseid, and Bo. Their uncanny similarities suggest that they were built by the same people. The church in Bo was built around 1180 and was dedicated to St. Olaf. The semi-circle apse in the chancel was added at a later date. Some of the fixtures remaining from the middle ages are the cross over the chancel, a forged iron chandelier, and a three-panel carved wood altar, with the crowning of Mary featured in the middle panel. The niches with arched vaults on each side of the chancel doors are presente as well, even though they no longer have a practical function as side altars. Following the Reformation, the door on the south wall (which during the Catholic time was probably a processional door) was partially walled up to form a small window. One can also see out through the simple and beautiful entry portal, and two other windows were widened to serve the purpose of letting in light, which was necessary for the “new” Lutheran services in which reading the Bible was important. The church has slowly acquired the interior it now has. The oldest pew bears an inscription from 1579, and in the chancel on both sides of the altar are interesting panel paintings from around 1650 which illustrate a Bible verse or proverb. The pulpit and portal, the west gallery, and the altar table are also from the 1650s, and the painting on them was done from 1685—1687 in rich and deep colors that contrasted well with the white walls. The altar table has several depictions: Christ on the cross is in the center, and above it the triangle with the eye of God and they name Yahweh written in Hebrew. The pulpit and portal have inscriptions of Bible verses, and on the portal we see a depiction of Christ as ruler of the universe with the world in his hand. The gallery has nine biblical depictions of important happenings in the Bible, from creation to the apocalypse. The cathedral architect William Swensen described the characteristics of the Bo church in an article in which he stated: “It has something unique which hurls against a cathedral’s extravagant grandeur of stone blossoms and sculptures of towers and pinnacles—it has the purity and grace of flowers of the field and holy simplicity, which is perhaps the most difficult thing to attain in art.”

Nenset church is a long church from 1961 in Skien, Telemark county. The building is concrete and has 250 seats. Consecrated in 1997.

The church was decicated in 1999 and has a resilient, yet timeless church architectural form. The church holds many opportunities for different activities, collections and offers.

Nesland Church, beside the road from amot to Dalen, is a wooden church built in 1847. It contains many artefacts from the old stave church that stood on the same site, including a crucifix, a font, portals and a pillory. The church was restored in 1927 and decorated by the rose painter oystein Vesaas. The altarpiece was painted by Dagfin Werenskiold. Open on agreement.

Working church dedicated in 1957, drawn by the architect Helge Abrahamsen / Hans Grinde. The organ was built by Jorgensen in 1957. The altarpiece was painted by Arne E. Holm from Trondheim.

Gulset Church is a working church from 1986 in Skien. The church has been under renovation which was completed in 2009, and is today a modern working church.