The people at Eidsfoss ironworks originally belonged to the parish church in Hof, 7 km away. When the new schoolhouse was completed in 1893, the workers at the ironworks applied for permission to hold church services there. The request was rejected by the parish council in Hof, and the ironworks therefore decided to build a chapel at Eidsfoss. The new building was financed through bazaars and a voluntary “church tax” paid by the employees, with contributions from the two owners of the ironworks, Schwartz and Olsen Thon. The chapel was nearly completed when disaster struck on November 30, 1903, and the building burned to the ground. Nevertheless, it was possible to complete the chapel as early as the following summer, and Bishop Bang delivered the consecration address at Eidsfoss Chapel on July 20, 1904.
Externally, the building takes the form of a cruciform church with a centrally positioned tower, and is described as being “in a modified old Danish manor-house style.” Inside, it is a longitudinal church, with the narrow transepts containing sacristies with galleries. The altarpiece was painted by the artist Elna Schwartz Särström, the daughter of one of the ironworks’ owners. The architect was Holger Sinding-Larsen, with Andreas A. Kolstad as master builder. In 1958, A/S Eidsfos Verk transferred ownership of the church to Hof Municipality free of charge. Since 1997, Eidsfoss Church has been owned by the Hof Joint Parish Council.
In the picture above from 1907, we see the church as it appeared when you approached Eidsfoss from the south, with the Tunsberg-Eidsfoss Railway on the left hand side.
Unknown photographer. Colored by Bjørn Vangen.
