Romnes church

The medieval church Romnes is beautifully located by lake Norsjø and the Telemark Canal.

The church at Romnes has been generally preserved, though it has also been truly changed and remodeled. It is an east-west facing stone church in Romantic style. There are four other particularly eye-catching objects:

1. The gates and brickwork from 1931-32, drawn by the architect Georg Eliassen. While digging for the foundation for the walls, the remains of several people were found lying side by side on the edge of the cemetery. During the war, bombs and hand weapons were hidden above the gate.
2. The redwashed wood tower is in Rococo style, very different and highly debated as being “outlandish” for a church at that time. Niels Aall paid for the new tower in 1894. The old tower was so damaged that it was considered quite dangerous to try to ring the bells. The “new” tower was also repaired after heavy damage by wood beetles in the 1990s. One bell is still hanging.
3. Family Aall’s gravesite is also there, with the pillar by Dyre Vaa in 1930. Niels Aall, cabinet minister of 1814, was buried there in 1854.
4. Forged iron grave crosses, memorials to blacksmiths in the ironworks. The oldest cross is dated 1665, and another is from 1703. The crosses were made according to a German/Swedish/Finnish tradition. It was common for the sons of blacksmiths to make such crosses when their fathers died. You can also find newer forged iron crosses in the cemetery. Earlier, there were also many sun crosses made of stone in the cemetery. A few have been preserved inside the church. It was most likely the custom in the middle ages, and possibly also in the 1600s.

Opening hours
The church is open from June to September, but only for services, ceremonies and guidet tours. Please contact us for more information.