Romnes church was probably built at the end of the 12th century or the beginning of the 13th century, and was dedicated to St. Lawrence. The interior of the church is from the period after the reformation (1735). Altarpiece, pulpit, font, candlesticks etc. were given to the church by private families in the period 1700-1760.
he wooden fence that earlier surrounded the church and cemetery, was in 1931-32 replaced by the stone wall you see today. Built by the last stone masons guild in Telemark. During the last world war, the home guard used the roof over the front gate as a hiding place for arms and explosives.
n 1723 dean Alstrup from Bamble bought the church from the king Fredrik IV. Later owners were the families Løvenskiold, Cappelen and Aall. When the parish took over the church in 1986 Romnes was the only church in private ownership in Norway.
n the winter,- the church is too cold to use. In the summer however, the church is used for funerals, weddings and sunday services.
References:
The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.
The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.
The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.
The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.