The old Bamble Church, known as the
St. Olav's Church served this parish for many centuries. By the 1840s, the old church was in need of replacement, so planning for a new church began. The old church was going to be torn down and the new church was to be built about to the north of the old church. The new church was designed by the local parish priest
Gustav Adolph Lammers, who was also the local mayor and a member of parliament for a while. Some modifications to the plan came from
Christian Grosch, who worked for the
Norwegian Ministry of Church Affairs. The church was
consecrated on 19 October 1845. The church is considered by some to be Norway's first
Neo-Gothic church. When it was built, some of the stone from the old medieval church was used in the foundation wall and the cemetery wall. The new church was technically a
cruciform building, but the
transepts that are the cross-arms are very small and short, so the interior of the church is set up as a
long church. The two
transepts are set up as galleries. In 1902, the church was renovated by the architect
Hjalmar Welhaven. Among the things that were changed was the modest original tower was removed and a much larger tower was built in its place. In 1985, the church was again restored and some of the interior colors were changed. ==Artwork==