Enebakk Church () 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.
Ownership 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.
History 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.
Circa 1100 The next church that was built stood out in the landscape because of its size. The church had already been a gathering center in the village for almost 80 years, and it is believed to have been very large for local circumstances. The walls were over two ells () thick, the nave was 30 ells () long and 20 ells () wide, and the walls 12 ells () high. The chancel is believed to have been be 9 ells () both ways and 9 ells high.
The church was built of stone, and the construction of the chancel and nave used of stone. Much of this stone was quarried from a hill northwest of the church. Building with stone and mortar had been unknown in Norway until this time. This construction technique came to the country with Christianity, and only churches, monasteries, bishops' residences, and the king's residence were built in this way in the early years.
Limestone for binder had to be quarried, burned, and slaked for up to seven years. It was of good quality; it solidified slowly, but became hard as stone. The foundation was dug deep into the hill and was 1.5 times as wide as the wall above ground level. The outer stones were large and even, and pebbles and mortar were laid in the middle of the wall.
The north wall is slightly curved. Limestone was used for the corners and around the portal because it was easier to shape into plain surfaces and patterns. This stone probably came from the Oslo area. Construction work could only take place in the summer, and is believed to have involved three or four masonry teams with five or six men on each team. Considering the scope of the project, there were probably 35 men and two or three horses working at the site every day.
The church had an earthen floor. There may have been no other furnishings than the altar and the baptismal font. The limestone altarpiece stood on a walled plinth of gray stone against the east wall of the chancel. The baptismal font made of soapstone stood furthest west in the nave, probably to the right of the front door when entering the church. In various places on the walls, sun crosses were painted, which were a fertility symbol.
Dedication Enebakk Church was dedicated to Saint Botwulf on Saint Gregory's Day, March 12. The event was mentioned in Bishop Eystein's Land Book from 1393, where the church was referred to as Ignebakka kirkia. In 1104 it was 500 years since Pope Gregory had died. Such a major celebration took place that year that it is reasonable to assume that this was the year the church was dedicated, and that the ceremony took place on March 12, 1104.
Circa 1200 The church's tower was built around 1200. It was probably built higher than the ridge of the nave, and it was covered by a four-sided sloping roof.
The vestibule at the base of the tower in front of the entrance is called the våpenhuset, or the place to store weapons. Any weapons were placed here before entering the church. Next to the entrance door in the base of the tower there is a small hole in the wall on the left side. This is Norway's oldest "mailbox." Messages (and later bidding sticks) from the king and bishop were placed here by a messenger. Later, the letters were read by the priest from the pulpit or from the church hill after the worship service.
In the south wall of the vestibule a small square niche is cut into the wall. An altar stood here during the Catholic era, and the public had access to it when there was no service in the church. Catholic churches commonly have several small alters, as was also the case at Enebakk during the Catholic era.
Outlaws The door on the east side of the nave has wrought-iron fittings in a Gothic design, perhaps from the same time as the tower was built. In the middle there is a ring. It has the form of two dragons biting the handle and their tails are braided together. If anyone that was outlawed fled to the church and held this ring, nobody could harm him.
Weights and measures There is an iron rod hanging in the porch. It is an ell (alen), long. Earlier, a standard weight also hung here, but it is now gone. The standards served as references where the measuring units could be checked.
Circa 1500 Around 1500, the church was in poor condition: the upper part of the tower and the east gable had collapsed. The walls were cracking and the ceiling was deteriorating. The period after the Black Death (1349–1350) was marked by a decline. Only a third of the population survived the epidemic, and there were few funds to maintain the church. A request for assistance was sent to highest authorities. The church even sold letters of indulgence to raise money until they were banned as a result of the Reformation in 1536.
Eventually funds were obtained and extensive repairs were carried out, and the building largely acquired the appearance it has today. The east gable above the nave was restored with red brick, and the cracks in the walls were repaired. A new roof was laid over the entire church. The entire roof was covered with wooden shakes, then spread with tar. Each shake was about long and wide, and the edge at one end sloped down. The shakes were fastened with wooden pegs, and there were about 40,000 shakes altogether, all of which had been split with an ax.
Vestry A vestry was built on the north side of the chancel. It has the same length as the chancel, but is a little narrower. Originally there were two windows in the vestry, one to the north and one to the east. Later the east window was made larger and a door was installed. Because the vestry was used to store valuables, the door was made of small plates of iron equipped with a strong lock. The iron was smelted from bog iron.
Lead roof The church was given lead roofing before 1600. The lead sheets were cast in wooden molds lined with sand. The lead sheets were large (about ) and heavy (), and they were prone to sagging and causing leaks. In 1787, the roof was replaced with blue glazed Dutch tile.
New tower The top of the tower was not re-walled again. Instead, the roof over the nave was extended and passed over the tower at the same height. A square bell tower was built over the roof, and above it was a tall tower. The beams of the tower are dated to 1551. It is the oldest wooden tower on a stone church in Norway. It is possible that at that time the tower more or less received the shape it has today, but the belfry had four small corner towers.
Since then, the tower has undergone several major repairs, and the four corner towers were removed. The walls also had to be repaired, including the installation of large iron anchors that can still be seen in the west wall of the tower.
Spire The top of the tower is decorated with a ball and a spire with a rooster and an iron flag with the year 1885. In Norse mythology, the rooster represented salvation from the powers of darkness when it announced dawn and sunrise. It was also thought that the rooster was protection against lightning strikes. In the Christian context, there is a rooster that "awakened" Apostle Peter. The ball symbolizes the globe. The height from the ground to top of the spire is , about the same as the total length of the church. In 1884 the tower was paneled and painted black, and in 1890 it was painted white. During the restoration of 1966, the tower was painted black with white corner posts and white windows.
1966 restoration The last major restoration of the church took place in 1966, after the floors were taken up in 1965. The earthen floor is about below the current wooden floor. A recess for a tomb was found in the middle of the nave. Some coins were also found, some remains of the lead roof, and some loose stones. During the 1966 restoration, several church frescoes (kalkmalerier) were also revealed. These are visible in the church over the gallery, on the northeast wall, and on the chancel arch. The stoves and chimneys were removed, and electrical heating with heating pipes was installed under each pew. New electric lights were also installed throughout the church.
Furnishings Bells In the bell tower there are now three bells, a large one in the middle and a smaller one on each side. The largest bell is from the Middle Ages marked with a sun cross. It was probably acquired when the tower was built. The southern bell dates from 1682 and it bears a crucifix, Christian V's monogram, and inscriptions. One of the inscriptions reads "Alene Gud æren. Til Guds ære meg støpte Fridrich Meyer." (Glory to God alone. Fridrich Meyer cast me for the glory of God.)
On March 17, 1716, a Swedish detachment of Charles XII's soldiers took the large bell. However, Norwegian dragoons apprehended them and reinstalled the bell. The third bell was purchased by the municipality at an auction in Vestby, possibly in 1836, where it had been a farm bell. It would be used for funerals of the poor, paupers quartered at farms by the parish, and small farmers, without payment. During restoration work in 1966, the tin plates on the tower were removed and replaced with copper plates. The belfry was again painted black with white corner posts and white windows.
Altar The altar during the earliest stage of the church was a large altar stone with a sepulchrum in the middle. In the sepulchrum there was a relic of St. Botwulf until the end of the Catholic era. When the altar was in use, the sepulchrum was covered with a square piece of stone and the edge was sealed with lead.