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28-509: The church was moved from its original site to a new site after the Grue Church fire . The original site of the medieval Grue Church has been lost to the river Glomma which has changed course over the centuries and now flows over the site of the church. The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1224, but that was not the year of construction. The first church in Grue

56-693: A noble family from Mecklenburg who were naturalized in Denmark. He grew up in Hirschholm Castle ( Hirschholm Slot ) in Hørsholm . He matriculated in 1805 and earned a law degree at Copenhagen University in 1812. He first studied painting and drawings at the Art Academy in Copenhagen , Denmark, while he at the same time studied law . After finalizing these studies in 1812, he went to Kongsberg , Norway (which then

84-401: A tall central tower. Above the nave and the two transepts were wide galleries, allowing the church to accommodate up to 700 people. Both nave and transepts had entrance doors which swung inwards. The windows were placed high up on the wall. The exterior of the building was covered with waterproofing pine tar ; subsequent calculations estimated that 17 tons of tar had been applied over

112-416: A total of 116 is also mentioned. The dead included 69 women and 36 children under the age of 15, but only eight or ten men. Unmarried young people and women traditionally sat separated from the men, who were closer to the south door and were able to escape through it before it became blocked, while other men, including the vicar, managed to save themselves by climbing out of the windows, although badly burnt by

140-689: Is based on the disaster, treating it as an instance of the problem of evil . Hans Linstow Hans Ditlev Franciscus (Frants) von Linstow (4 May 1787 – 10 June 1851) was a Danish / Norwegian architect who designed the Royal Palace in Oslo and much of the surrounding park and the street Karl Johans gate . Hans Ditlev Franciscus von Linstow was born in Hørsholm, Denmark . His parents were Hartvig Christoph von Linstow (1740–1823) and Charlotta Benedicta Eleonora von der Lühe (1753–1837). Linstow belonged to

168-565: The Constitution of Norway . This was Norway's first national elections. Each church parish was a constituency that elected people called "electors" who later met together in each county to elect the representatives for the assembly that was to meet in Eidsvoll later that year. In 1817, the Bishop visited the church and agreed that the church site needed to be moved due to the river (and at this point,

196-587: The Pentecost service, the church at Grue, Norway , caught fire and at least 113 people were killed. It is the deadliest fire disaster in the history of Norway . The old Grue Church was located close to Skulstad, north-west of Kirkenær in Solør . It was close to the bank of the River Glomma , and because of the likelihood that it would be undercut by erosion, a decision had been taken in 1794 to rebuild it further from

224-603: The cavalry . In 1818, he was one of the initiators of the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry in Christiania . He taught, first plaster , and later building construction until he took his leave in 1840. In 1823, he was commissioned to design the new Royal Palace ( Det Kongelige Slott ) in Christiania and create the surrounding park, where he also drew the guards' house. He also helped his friend,

252-579: The Grue Church parish in Norway, left and emigrated to the United States . Many of these people formed at least two new congregations - both of which were named to honor their home church back in Norway. The "Grue Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church" was built in rural Buxton, North Dakota and "Grue Lutheran Church" was built in rural Ashby, Minnesota . Grue Church fire On 26 May 1822, during

280-528: The King pay off war debts. It (together with Brandval Church ) was bought by Captain Adolph Carl Helm and Colbjørn Olsen Stemsrud. The new owners sold the church to the local people the same year. The church was said to be in very poor condition at this time, and in the purchase agreement, the church was required to be repaired soon after the purchase. The local villagers began the repairs in 1727. More interior work

308-403: The building. The nine windows were all located high up on the wall and had small, leaded panes with iron bars. Even after the repairs, the church remained in poor condition. The old church stood just north of the Grue rectory, along the shores of the river Glomma . Over time, it was threatened by erosion from the river, which carried away large amounts of soil near the church every year, moving

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336-443: The church was in terrible condition from a lack of maintenance). On 26 May 1822 ( Pentecost Sunday), the church burned in what is now known as the Grue Church fire , in which at least 113 people died. The fire was possibly the result of sparks from an old incense burner that was used to collect embers for the altar candles. After the fire, the old church site was cleared and a new church was built about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) to

364-462: The church was renovated and enlarged. It is likely that this is the time when two transept wings were added that gave the church a cruciform floor plan. It is likely that the church was rebuilt and renovated in stages so that by the 1700s, very little of the original church building remained. The church, like most other churches in Norway, was sold during the Norwegian church auction in 1723 to help

392-439: The design of the new building, but for whatever reason, the old church remained, and since it was planned to be torn down, the church was not maintained and it continued to fall into disrepair. In 1814, this church served as an election church ( Norwegian : valgkirke ). Together with more than 300 other parish churches across Norway, it was a polling station for elections to the 1814 Norwegian Constituent Assembly which wrote

420-500: The ensuing blaze. The three doors all opened inward, and the main, south door was soon blocked by fire. Panic broke out as the pressure of those trying to escape hindered keeping the doors open, and the north door itself blocked the exit for people descending from the north gallery. Some fell in front of the doors and others climbed over them. People jumped from the galleries onto those below, and some bodies were found crowded together in standing position. At least 113 people were killed;

448-433: The fire was never discovered. One theory is that a spark from a fire vessel in which the church servant brought embers to light the altar candles could have set fire to the wall. Another theory was that someone had experimented with a burning-glass outside the church. The new church, which is located in the center of Kirkenær, was completed in 1828. A standing stone was erected in front of it in 1922 in remembrance of

476-419: The melting stained glass . Many bodies were unidentifiable; Vogt Dines Guldberg Høegh, who had tried in vain to save lives by calming the crowd, was recognised by his sabre . The sabre is today on display in the sacristy of the new church. On 1 June the victims were buried in five coffins (Høegh in a separate coffin) in a common grave dug where the altar of the destroyed church had been. The cause of

504-402: The river, but this had not yet been done. An old woman had prophesied that the church would be destroyed on a Pentecost, either by water or by fire. The church was made entirely of wood. The oldest section was believed to date to the 13th century and was built using the stave method . It had been rebuilt around 1600 with the addition of two transepts built with round, hand-worked logs and

532-400: The shoreline closer and closer to the building. In 1774, the church and rectory were almost destroyed during a flood from the river. On 17 May 1794, the parish received permission for the church to be relocated to Vollermoen and for a new stone church to be built there. The church, however, was not moved at that time. It could be speculated that there may have been issues with finances or land or

560-418: The south. The new building was constructed out of stone and can accommodate 500 people. It has massive dimensions; it measures 47 by 18 metres (154 ft × 59 ft) and the walls are 1.26 metres (4 ft 2 in) thick. The church has a very simple outer form, composed of a tower and a nave with basic geometric shapes. The plans for the church were largely the work of the architect Hans Linstow who

588-526: The two hundred years before the fire. On 26 May 1822, a bright, hot day in early summer, 500–600 people were in the church for the Pentecost service, including mothers with babies to be baptised. As the vicar, Iver Hesselberg, was coming to the end of his sermon on weather and fire as images of the Holy Spirit , there was a loud noise as fire broke through the wooden wall. The church was completely destroyed in

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616-493: The victims. In the spring of 2005 a historical marker with photos and a map was erected at Skulstad to the south of the location of the old church, which was covered by the river 40 years after the fire. One consequence of the Grue Church fire was a law which was passed the following year prescribing that all doors of public buildings must swing outwards. Peter Wessel Zapffe 's novel Lyksalig pinsefest fire samtaler med Jørgen (Blissful Pentecost: Four Dialogues with Jørgen)

644-526: The writer Henrik Wergeland in constructing his new house Grotten in the outskirts of the park. Both these buildings are examples of his early use of the Swiss chalet style in his drawings. Since the Royal Palace was erected outside the main city area, Linstow proposed a plan in 1838 to connect the palace to the city. The main parts of this plan were realized in what is now the main boulevard and tourist area,

672-508: Was a wooden stave church that was likely built during the 12th century. This church stood roughly 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) to the north of the present church site, but the exact site of the old church is not known. Very little is known about the original look of this building. During the Catholic era, the church was dedicated to John the Baptist . In 1609 (the year on the wind vane in the spire),

700-414: Was also carried out in 1732. In 1739, the church was inspected and the inspection report described the church in detail. At that time, it was a cruciform church. The church had a tower above the centre of the nave . There was a bell tower over the church porch on the west cross-arm and a sacristy outside the northern cross-arm. The church had exterior open-air corridors along the west and south sides of

728-415: Was assisted by Ole Peter Riis Høegh , and it was the first Gothic Revival structure in Norway. The tower on the west end does not have a tradition spire, but rather, it has a dome on top. Work on the new church began in 1825, but the work stalled for a couple of years due to funding problems. By April 1828, the church building was completed and work began on the interior decorations and furniture. The church

756-410: Was consecrated on 28 September 1828 by Bishop Christian Sørenssen . In 1864, the church was renovated to correct some weaknesses in the structure as well as to improve the heating system. The entire roof structure was also changed during this project. In 1873-1875, the interior of the church was redone, in particular, a new altarpiece and pulpit were installed. During the 1870s, many families from

784-472: Was united with Denmark) and studied in 1812–1814 at the so-called Bergakademiet , which educated military engineers . He did not, however, complete this military education, but studied architecture at the same time. He worked at the Danish Royal Court in 1814, but at the dissolution of the union between Denmark and Norway the same year, he went to Norway and worked in 1815–1820 as a military lawyer at

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