Sagene kirke

Sagene kirke stands in Oslo as a red-brick Neo-Gothic church designed by Christian Fürst and completed in 1891. Its slate roof, copper-clad towers, pointed arches, and tall windows create a strong vertical profile. Three galleries accommodate about six hundred people, while Sagene kirkepark frames the building with gardens and a fountain. Wheelchair access forms part of the visitor facilities.

Inside, a Christen Brun altarpiece shows Jesus being removed from the cross, copied from Rubens in Antwerp. Four choir windows carry Old and New Testament motifs, while six nave windows pair apostles with stylised decoration. A rose window above the entrance anchors the stained glass. The 35-voice Hollenbach organ dates from 1891 and remains Norway’s only surviving example. An additional choir organ joined it in 2015, alongside three bells cast in Dresden in 1891.

A baptismal fresco by Carsten Lien places a dove above the choir stairs, symbolising the Holy Ghost. The fresco dates from 1919 and was restored in 1959. Five years of renovation between 2005 and 2010 addressed extensive dry rot. The church also appeared in the Norwegian television series Skam, in the “O helga natt” scene.