Oslo Cathedral: The National Church of Norway

In this installment of ‘Larger Than Life: Architecture Through the Ages,’ we visit a cathedral that is the center of the Norwegian nation.

Located in the city's center, Oslo Cathedral is designed in the Dutch Baroque style. Built of stone mixed with red brick, the curved single-story building is designed with a chancel (front of the church) in the east, and a bell tower with a copper dome and a Renaissance-style spire. The church’s Neo-Gothic bronze doors date from the 19th century and feature motifs from the gospel of St. Matthew, added by Dagfin Werenskiold in 1938. Valery Berata/Shutterstock

Formerly known as Our Savior’s Church, Oslo Cathedral has been restored and renovated throughout the centuries.

Before the cathedral’s construction (1694–1697), the city already had two cathedrals, one dating from the 12th century and another from the early 17th century. In 1686, a city fire damaged an earlier cathedral, leading to the construction of a new church, this one in a cruciform shape. The diocese of Oslo consecrated the church in 1697 as its main church and the parish church for downtown Oslo.