Enebakk Church

Enebakk Church (Enebakk kirke) is a rectangular church dating from the 1100s or 1200s in the municipality of Enebakk in Akershus county, Norway. Construction of today's church started around 1100 and since then it has undergone both expansions and major restorations, most recently in 2010. The church is built of stone and can accommodate 320 people. The church can be reached via a popular tourist route along Norwegian County Road 120.

The first church at Enebakk was built at the order of the king and the clergy, and was probably funded by gifts and income from royal and ecclesiastical taxes on commoners. Around 1125, Sigurd the Crusader introduced a tithe. Many farms in Enebakk paid this directly to the church. In 1152 the opportunity was introduced to will gifts to the church. With the Reformation in 1536, the king took over all the church property and the churches themselves. When Frederick IV experienced financial difficulties after the Great Northern War (1700–1721), he started selling churches to procure cash. There were several different owners of Enebakk Church as a result: In 1723, the king sold the church to Matias Rosenberg for 705 riksdaler. In 1749, Rosenberg sold it to Nils Bechman for 2,300 riksdaler. In 1753, Bechman it sold to Lieutenant Colonel Michelet and chief forest officer Clemmet Hansen at the Østenbøl farm for 2,576 riksdaler. In 1756, Michelet sold his half for 1,636 riksdaler to Hansen, and he became the sole owner. The owners of the farm Østenbøl owned the church until 1880. They also owned Mari Church from 1764 onward. In 1880, the municipality of Enebakk bought both churches for NOK 14,000.

The first church at Enebakk was built of wood on a plot south of the houses on the Krogsbøl farm. The church was built at the beginning of Norway's Christian era, possibly following the order of Olaf II.

Church data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).