St. John's Church

Bergen, Norway

St. John's Church was built between 1891 and 1894 in the Gothic Revival style. With 1250 seats, it is the largest church in Bergen.

In 1888, an architectural contest was conducted for the design of a new church. It was built from drawings by architect, Herman Major Backer (1856–1932). The frescoes in the Church's ceiling date from 1924 and were completed by Hugo Lous Mohr (1889-1970). The building process was first lead by architect Adolf Fischer and from 1891 by Hans Heinrich Jess. The church was consecrated in 1894.

The organ was built by Schlag and Sohn of Wurttemberg. It was modernized by JH Jørgensen of Oslo during 1967. The altarpiece depicts Christ in prayer and was designed in 1894 by Marcus Grønvold. The church tower is the highest in the city at 61 metres. The main tower has four stair towers and a carillon. It was designed by Verein Bochum in Bochum, Westphalia.

References:

Wikipedia

Religious sites in Norway

Address

Sydnesplassen 5, Bergen, Norway

See all sites in Bergen

Details

Founded: 1891-1894
Category: Religious sites in Norway

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.bergen-guide.com

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Lyse Abbey Ruins (18,5 km)
Fjell Fortress (14,8 km)
Hamre Church (17,5 km)
Fana Church (14 km)

User Reviews

Fraser Boyd (13 months ago)
Enjoyed the Christmas Day midday service here. I was surprised and disappointed that nobody particularly made an effort to welcome or speak to visitors but the service itself was meaningful, even trying my best to translate into English in my head using my limited Norwegian!

Sandeep Sen (2 years ago)
It was raining so we decided to see the Organ recital late evening. Fantastic decision. The church has a wooden roof which made it look very different and classy. Worth a visit when you’re in Bergen, where it rains 220 days.

MMO Mao (2 years ago)
Spectacular❤️ fun with those plentiful of steps but as soon you get to the top then you have the most amazing viewof the City centre . A must visit!

Steve Clements (3 years ago)
Surprisingly austere for a Catholic Church but definitely worth climbing the steps to visit. Lovely dark wood vaulted ceiling and geometric-patterned stained glass. If you're in Bergen, do pay a visit.

Lukasz Salamon (4 years ago)
Very interesting structure placed in beautiful surrounding with some nice architectural gems of norwegian design.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.