THE INTERIOR OF TRETTEN CHURCH

The dominant school of thought in Norway at the time the present church was build was pietism. Before this orthodoxy had focused on the right faith, whereas pietism focused on the right way to experience faith. Rebirth and the new life were major issues, often at the expense of the sacraments, which it was considered could be misused. To which degree pietism featured in Tretten is impossible to tell, but it is both interesting and right to have the distinctive stamp of pietism in mind when looking at a church from this time.

THE ALTAR AND THE ALTARPIECE

The altarpiece

Records from 1732 states that the altarpiece at the time was from the Catholic period. Since the Reformation took place before the the logged church was buld, this must mean that the altarpiece from the old stone church was moved, first to the old log church and then to the new church, where it used for a short period. In the primitive church and during the Middle Ages a crucifix would normally dominate the altar. This makes it reasonable to assume that one of the two wellknown medieval crusifixes from the Tretten church that today are being kept by a museum in Oslo once was part of the original altarpiece. Photos of the two crusifixes are on display in the sacristy of the chruch.

The present alterpiece is dated 1751 and records from 1752 states that the church has a new altar. The artist behind it is supposedly Bjørn Olstad, who is also thought to be the master of the altarpiece in Øyer church. Bjørn Olstad was the first wood carver in Gudbrandsdalen to use the acacia style.

In the age of orthodoxy in the 1600's catechismal boards was common, i.e. altarpieces with written extracts of the catechism on. However, since very few people could read and the congregation sat too far away anyway, the pietism's use of images had a far greater impact.

The altarpiece in Øyer church, with its Easter motives, is typical in this respect. The painted motives shows the first communion on Maundy Thursday at the bottom, the crucifixion on Good Friday in the middle, and the resurrection on Easter Sunday on top. The paintings are copies of those found on the altarpiece in Øyer church, the painter is unknown.

Detail from the altarpiece

The four carved figures are also typical. Below Moses with the tablet at one side, Christ with the glory, the globe and the cross on the other, as a symbol of the old and the new covenant, the commandments and the gospel. And above, Aron the first liturgist in full garb and John the Baptist with the old testament, the lamb and the pointed finger. All framed by beautiful wood carvings in the acacia style. As in Øyer church the carvings around the uppermost painting, the resurrection, is of a different kind than the rest with palmlike branches, maybe to accentuate this event.

In the primitive church (and during the Middle Ages) candles were placed in single holders which stood on the floor. Later the candles were moved on to the altar and the number reduced to two, in accordance with the tradition of the reformed (lutheran) church. After a while this number was increased and Tretten chruch has three pairs of old candlesticks.

The altar

The largest candlesticks bear the inscription "Clemet Østensøn" and "Kiersten Erichsdatter", in addition to "Anno 1780". The only couple with these names in the relevant period are Clemet Østenson Enge og Kjersti Erichsdatter Kvam, who were married in Tretten church in June of 1773. Why these candlesticks were donated to the church in the year of 1780 is unknown, there are no events in the church registers that would explain such a donation.

The middlemost candlesticks are ingraved with "Moritx Ienssøn" and "Anne Iensdaater" but no year. The smallest holders resemble the middlemost an have the inscription "P.E.S.V" and "Anno 1656". Morits Jenssøn, born abt. 1586 in Denmark, was district magistrate in the southern part of Gudbrandsdalen 1634-1654. He and his wife Anne lived on the farm Lie in Østre Gausdal. On of their daughters married Per Einarson Vold (P.E.S.V). We don't know why or how these candlesticks ended up in Tretten church, but a relationship between the magistrate's wife, Anne Jensdatter, and Jens Jenssen Staby, who was vicar in Øyer (and Tretten) in the early 1600-hundreds have been indicated.

The chalice and dish have their root in the Lord's Supper. The oldest chalices were larger than to day and had two handles. The dish was large as well, often with a diameter up to 50 cm. Shape and size of both chalice and dish have changed in accordance with the style of times. As the church grew richer they were made of silver, and got engravings and reliefs. According to records from 1732 the church has: "A silver chalice and a dish that is with gilding on the in- and outside weight 38 1/2 lod, this chalice was made in 1684 of an old ungilded chalice that weighed 25 lod to which was added 13 1/2 lod of silver". The chalice and dish have inscriptions in latin showing the year and that it was donated by Fredrick Monrath. The original chalice might have been medieval In the Middle Ages the chalice was small, since only the priest would drink the wine, while the congretation got the communion bread.

THE PULPIT

The pulpit

During pietism it was important to emphasize the Word - also in relation to the Sacraments. This often was expressed visually, by placing the pulpit high - preferably above the altar as a part of the altarpiece as we can see in other churches from this period. The pulpit also grew bigger compared to the sobriety of earlier centuries.

Whether there's a deliberate theological assessment behind or just the style of the period, the pulpit in Tretten is certainly big and dominates the room. Like the altarpiece it dates from 1752 and was carved by Bjørn Bjørnson Olstad from Øyer. Above the pulpit is a carved ceiling with the sun of the Gospel and the dove as the symbol of the spirit.

THE BAPTISMAL FONT

The baptismal font

Since the peietist viewed the words of God as the one and only means of grace, the sacrament of baptism was less important as one was later reborn by the Word. Following this line of reasoning one would expect the baptismal font to be somewhat more modest. The baptismal font in Tretten chruch dominates the room and is of a more recent date, it was carved by Ole Olsen Klævamoen towards the end of the 1780's.

The baptismal font is special, without any parallell. The upper part is four-sided. Four acaciavines form the legs. Below an angel stand with its arms above its head, lifting the font. Above the font is an uncommonly large ceiling, which repeats the motifs found on the ceiling above the pulpit. The unusual size probably reflects a wish to maintain a balance in the room in relation to the pulpit.

THE CHOIR ENTRANCE

The lion ornament

The entrance to the choir was always marked by a door or a portal. It was open, so that the congregation could see the altar. On the beam above the portal would be a crucifix, marking the entrance to a particularly sacred room. During pietism the crucifixes were dismantled in many churches and replaced by emblems and initials of Danish-Norwegian kings.

The ornament above choir entrance in Tretten church show the initials of Fredrik IV, F4, within a wreath supported by two lions with the royal crown above. The ornament seems clumsy and dull. According to Tor Ile it was carved by Bjørn Olstad around 1750. If this is the case it is very different from the one he made for Øyer church 25 years earlier and from the other things he has carved in Tretten church. Fredrik IV died in 1730, and it's a small paradox that his initials was used in an ornament supposedly made 20 years after his death. Especially because the corresponding ornament in Øyer church, which is supposedly older, shows the initials of his son and successor as king, Christian IV. The royal crown is found several places in the church, above the pulpit and the baptismal font.

PAINTINGS

Tavle fra 1726

In the 1600's it became common to donate "tavler" - i.e. paintings, to the church. These paintings are identified by the name of the donator, not the painter. In Tretten church five such paintings remain. When the church was painted in 1883, the paintings were taken down and stored in the gallery. Here they stood for a long time, and during this time some of them disappeared or were destroyed. One of these was a painting donated by Erik O. Rindal, dated 1688, representing his own ascension. A smaller painting - Christ crowning a child - also disappeared at this time. 60 years later it was recovered in an antique shop in Oslo. The painting was subsequently bought and brought back to the Tretten church again.

This painting, which is dated 1713, shows Jesus crowning a child and bears the inscription....

The other paintings are (sorted by the year of donation):

A painting showing ? and with the inscription "Lord, son of David have mercy with me. In honor of God and to the beautification of the church this painting was donated by the honest and godfearing woman Lisbet Olsdaater Anno 1714".

A painting representing Jesus and the palsied and with the inscription "In honor of God and to the beautification of the church this painting was donated to Tretten church by Erich Olsen Glomstad Anno 1724".

A painting with three motifs, which represents Abraham showing his faith, Jacob's dream and the anemic womans belief in Christ. It carries the inscription "In honor of God and to the beautification of the church this painting was donated to Tretten church by the honest woman Marte peders Daater glemen Anno 1730".

A painting showing the baptism og Jesus and with the inscription "In honor of God and to the beautification of the church I have been donated to Tretten church by Mads Biercke Anno 1788".

RESTORATION WORKS

In 1883 the interior walls of the church were painted the way they are now. The benches of that time were painted brown. The altarpiece, pulpit, baptismal ceiling and the choir entrance were painted over as well, but the paint was removed in 1954.

The painted ceiling
in the sacristy

In the 1960's the white painting in ceiling of the sacristiy started to peel, and it was discovered that the ceiling had originally been decorated. In 1971 it was decided to remove the paint entirely. The old wooden boards were taken down and stripped for several layers of white paint. A unusually rich and beautiful decoration then came to light, with rosettes and vines in the colors red, white and black and of a high artistic value. It is highly unlikely that these ornaments were made in the present church. The boards show unmistakable signs of having been used somewhere else. From the decoration it is obvious that it once covered more than the 20 square meters used in the sacristy. One must be allowed to assume that the rafters and boards originally belonged to the old wooden church from the 1580's.

Source: Vår Frelsers Kirke på Tretten, Tretten parish council 1978