Fjære Church


Fjære Church is a parish church in Grimstad municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of Fjære. The church is part of the Fjære parish in the Vest-Nedenes deanery in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. The old stone church was built around the year 1150. It seats about 450 people.

History

The first church at Fjære was likely a wooden church with a stone altar. That church was taken down at some point an replaced with the present church, likely around the year 1150. The old stone altar was kept on in the new church and is still in use today. Under the church, there is a crypt with 26 bodies buried in it, mainly important people from the community during the 17th century. The basement was formally closed to visitors in 1997 to give respect to the dead.

Terje Vigen

The local poet and writer, Henrik Ibsen, wrote a poem about Terje Vigen in 1861. The poem talks about Fjære Church where Terje Vigen is buried. There is a large obelisk in the churchyard remembering Vigen and others who died during that war in 1807–1809.

Media gallery