Gamle Aker Church

Gamle Aker kirke is believed to have been built around 1080, probably by King Olav Kyrre, in limestone in a Romanesque basilica plan, and it is the oldest building still standing in Oslo, older than the city's present centre, which grew up after the fire of 1624 moved the town westward. It served the rural parish of Aker for centuries while Oslo lay elsewhere. The interior is plain and heavy, with thick walls, small windows and a restored medieval feel, the result of nineteenth-century restoration that removed later additions. The graveyard around it holds several notable Norwegian figures. Below the church a hillside of allotment gardens drops to Telthusbakken, and the position gives a view over the older parts of the city.

History

The church is believed to have been built by King Olav Kyrre about 1080 as the church for all of Vingulmark, probably on the site of an older assembly place, and it stands above the Akerberg silver mines mentioned in the Historia Norvegiae of 1170. A fire after a lightning strike in 1703 took the tower, the bells and the furnishings; the exterior was restored in 1861 and the interior in 1950-1955 (Wikipedia, Old Aker Church).

What to look for

• The Romanesque stonework - eleventh-century masonry, thick walls and small windows.
• The plain interior - a restored medieval basilica space still in parish use.
• The graveyard - burials including several notable Norwegians.
• The allotment hillside - gardens dropping toward Telthusbakken.

When to go

Year-round; opening hours are limited and the church closes for services and weddings, so a check before visiting saves a wasted walk. The graveyard and exterior are accessible at any time.

Before you go

The interior is austere and there is not much to see once inside, with restoration having stripped later decoration. Opening times are short and irregular. The building is small by cathedral standards.

Nearby

Damstredet and Telthusbakken are just below; Grunerlokka and the Akerselva lie east.

Key facts