Enebakk Church

About

Enebakk Church (Norwegian: Enebakk kirke) is a rectangular church dating from the 1100s or 1200s in the municipality of Enebakk in Akershus county, Norway. Construction of today's church started around 1100 and since then it has undergone both expansions and major restorations, most recently in 2010. The church is built of stone and can accommodate 320 people. The church can be reached via a popular tourist route along Norwegian County Road 120.

The first church at Enebakk was built at the order of the king and the clergy, and was probably funded by gifts and income from royal and ecclesiastical taxes on commoners. Around 1125, Sigurd the Crusader introduced a tithe. Many farms in Enebakk paid this directly to the church. In 1152 the opportunity was introduced to will gifts to the church.

With the Reformation in 1536, the king took over all the church property and the churches themselves. When Frederick IV experienced financial difficulties after the Great Northern War (1700–1721), he started selling churches to procure cash. There were several different owners of Enebakk Church as a result:

- In 1753, Bechman it sold to Lieutenant Colonel Michelet and chief forest officer Clemmet Hansen at the Østenbøl farm for 2,576 riksdaler.

- In 1756, Michelet sold his half for 1,636 riksdaler to Hansen, and he became the sole owner. The owners of the farm Østenbøl owned the church until 1880. They also owned Mari Church from 1764 onward.

The first church at Enebakk was built of wood on a plot south of the houses on the Krogsbøl farm. The church was built at the beginning of Norway's Christian era, possibly following the order of Olaf II.

The next church that was built stood out in the landscape because of its size. The church had already been a gathering center in the village for almost 80 years, and it is believed to have been very large for local circumstances. The walls were over two ells (1.3 m or 4 ft 3 in) thick, the nave was 30 ells (18.8 m or 62 ft) long and 20 ells (12.6 m or 41 ft) wide, and the walls 12 ells (7.5 m or 25 ft) high. The chancel is believed to have been be 9 ells (5.6 m or 18 ft) both ways and 9 ells high.

The church was built of stone, and the construction of the chancel and nave used 1,000 cubic meters (35,000 cu ft) of stone. Much of this stone was quarried from a hill 700 meters (2,300 ft) northwest of the church. Building with stone and mortar had been unknown in Norway until this time. This construction technique came to the country with Christianity, and only churches, monasteries, bishops' residences, and the king's residence were built in this way in the early years.

Limestone for binder had to be quarried, burned, and slaked for up to seven years. It was of good quality; it solidified slowly, but became hard as stone. The foundation was dug 1.5 meters (4 ft 11 in) deep into the hill and was 1.5 times as wide as the wall above ground level. The outer stones were large and even, and pebbles and mortar were laid in the middle of the wall.

The north wall is slightly curved. Limestone was used for the corners and around the portal because it was easier to shape into plain surfaces and patterns. This stone probably came from the Oslo area. Construction work could only take place in the summer, and is believed to have involved three or four masonry teams with five or six men on each team. Considering the scope of the project, there were probably 35 men and two or three horses working at the site every day.

The church had an earthen floor. There may have been no other furnishings than the altar and the baptismal font. The limestone altarpiece stood on a walled plinth of gray stone against the east wall of the chancel. The baptismal font made of soapstone stood furthest west in the nave, probably to the right of the front door when entering the church. In various places on the walls, sun crosses were painted, which were a fertility symbol.

Enebakk Church was dedicated to Saint Botwulf on Saint Gregory 's Day, March 12. The event was mentioned in Bishop Eystein's Land Book from 1393, where the church was referred to as Ignebakka kirkia. In 1104 it was 500 years since Pope Gregory had died. Such a major celebration took place that year that it is reasonable to assume that this was the year the church was dedicated, and that the ceremony took place on March 12, 1104.

The church's tower was built around 1200. It was probably built higher than the ridge of the nave, and it was covered by a four-sided sloping roof.

The vestibule at the base of the tower in front of the entrance is called the våpenhuset, or the place to store weapons. Any weapons were placed here before entering the church. Next to the entrance door in the base of the tower there is a small hole in the wall on the left side. This is Norway's oldest "mailbox." Messages (and later bidding sticks ) from the king and bishop were placed here by a messenger. Later, the letters were read by the priest from the pulpit or from the church hill after the worship service.

In the south wall of the vestibule a small square niche is cut into the wall. An altar stood here during the Catholic era, and the public had access to it when there was no service in the church. Catholic churches commonly have several small alters, as was also the case at Enebakk during the Catholic era.

The door on the east side of the nave has wrought-iron fittings in a Gothic design, perhaps from the same time as the tower was built. In the middle there is a ring. It has the form of two dragons biting the handle and their tails are braided together. If anyone that was outlawed fled to the church and held this ring, nobody could harm him.

There is an iron rod hanging in the porch. It is an ell ( alen ), 63.2 centimeters (24.9 in) long. Earlier, a standard weight also hung here, but it is now gone. The standards served as references where the measuring units could be checked.

Around 1500, the church was in poor condition: the upper part of the tower and the east gable had collapsed. The walls were cracking and the ceiling was deteriorating. The period after the Black Death (1349–1350) was marked by a decline. Only a third of the population survived the epidemic, and there were few funds to maintain the church. A request for assistance was sent to highest authorities. The church even sold letters of indulgence to raise money until they were banned as a result of the Reformation in 1536.

Eventually funds were obtained and extensive repairs were carried out, and the building largely acquired the appearance it has today. The east gable above the nave was restored with red brick, and the cracks in the walls were repaired. A new roof was laid over the entire church. The entire roof was covered with wooden shakes, then spread with tar. Each shake was about 50 centimeters (20 in) long and 10 centimeters (3.9 in) wide, and the edge at one end sloped down. The shakes were fastened with wooden pegs, and there were about 40,000 shakes altogether, all of which had been split with an ax.

A vestry was built on the north side of the chancel. It has the same length as the chancel, but is a little narrower. Originally there were two windows in the vestry, one to the north and one to the east. Later the east window was made larger and a door was installed. Because the vestry was used to store valuables, the door was made of small plates of iron equipped with a strong lock. The iron was smelted from bog iron.