Vår Frue kirke

Vår Frue kirke stands on Torvet in the middle of Trondheim and is one of only three medieval churches preserved in the city, listed as a church of national value. The eastern half dates from the late 1100s — a cornerstone inscription credits the architect Bjørn Sigvardsson — with the western section added in the 1600s, the tower built between 1739 and 1742 and its spire in 1779. Fire destroyed the building repeatedly, in 1531, 1598, 1651, 1681 and 1708, but the heavy masonry survived each time and was rebuilt. A neo-Gothic entrance hall followed in 1882, and the church was comprehensively restored between 2004 and 2007. It is a long church in stone with Romanesque and Gothic features, a broad nave that suggests three medieval aisles, and a wide choir. It seats 740. The organ was built by W. Sauer Orgelbau of Frankfurt in 1921-22 and has 53 stops across three manuals and pedal behind a baroque façade. Originally pneumatic, it was partly converted to electrical transmission in 1971; the 2007 restoration reconstructed the pneumatic action and returned the instrument to its romantic character. Since 2007 the church has been run by Kirkens Bymisjon on behalf of Nidaros Cathedral as an open church — somewhere to light a candle, have a coffee and find shelter, open every day of the year with free admission. Alongside daily prayer at 14:00, weekly Tuesday services and a monthly Sunday mass, the building is used for concerts and is a recurring arena for the Trondheim Jazz Festival (Jazzfest) and Olavsfestdagene.