Østre Porsgrunn Church

Østre Porsgrunn Church
Jesu Kirke i Østre Porsgrunn
Østre Porsgrunn Church Østre Porsgrunn Church within Telemark
59°8′10.6″N 9°38′52.5″E / 59.136278°N 9.647917°E / 59.136278; 9.647917Coordinates: 59°8′10.6″N 9°38′52.5″E / 59.136278°N 9.647917°E / 59.136278; 9.647917
Location	Porsgrunn
Country	Norway
Denomination	Lutheran
Churchmanship	Evangelical
Website	porsgrunn.kirken.no
History
Founded	1758 (1758)
Consecrated	10 July 1760
Events	Restored in 1888, 1960–1966, 1997. Destroyed in fire 2011.
Architecture
Architect(s)	Lauritz de Thurah and Andreas Pfützner, Joen Jacobsen
Architectural type	Cruciform church
Style	Rococo, late-Baroque
Completed	1760
Construction cost	5,836 rigsdaler, 3 ort, 11 skilling
Specifications
Capacity	>600
Floor area	450 m2 (4,800 sq ft)
Spire height	5 m (16 ft)
Materials	Wood, Copper (spire)
Administration
Parish	Porsgrunn
Deanery	Porsgrunn
Diocese	Diocese of Agder and Telemark
Clergy
Pastor(s)	Ivar Brobakken
Laity
Organist(s)	John Beech

Østre Porsgrunn Church (full name: Jesu Kirke i Østre Porsgrunn, also called Østsiden Church) was a church in the Rococo style built in 1760 and located in the city of Porsgrunn in Telemark, Norway. In 2011 the building was completely destroyed by a fire.

The church was built in the Kirkehaugen district of Eastern Porsgrunn. The church site is located on Kirkebakken 17, just east of Fylkesvei 356.

In the mid-1700s, the wealthy population of Porsgrunn wanted a new church on the east side of the neighborhood. The reason for this was mainly prestige but also politics, as the building of a grand church in Porsgrunn would prove that the neighborhood in Skien was prosperous enough to be a city in its own right. Also, despite the fact that Vestre Porsgrunn Church had just been built, there was no bridge across the Porsgrunn River, so the residents of eastern Porsgrunn had to travel all the way to Eidanger Church in Eidanger to worship.

The idea for a church on the east side of Porsgrunn was a few years in the making, but came to fruition due to the influence and capital of a few of the city's wealthy merchants, shipowners and ironworks owners. On 9 August 1754, a message urging residents to donate towards a new church was sent out by four of Porsgrunn's most important men, all of whom were successful businessmen with connections to Danish royalty. The men were: Danish brothers Carl Deichmann and Wilhelm Deichmann, literary publishers and co-owners of Fossum Ironworks in Skien, Ulrich Frederik Schnell, owner of Næs Ironworks in Holt, and customs officer Thomas Lange. The fundraising campaign was a huge success, and within a short time, the men had collected between four and five thousand rigsdaler for the church. The land that was to be the future site of Østre Porsgrunn Church was donated by Friederich Biener, who owned the land as part of his Jønholt farm and used it as a pen for his horses.