Svanvik Chapel was built for obvious political reasons to indicate Norwegian sovereignty and to forestall the Finns with regard to ecclesiastical services by the population in that area. The desire for a Norwegian style was additionally clearly formulated by Bishop Berggrav. The result can thus be absolutely characterized as Norwegian national romantic, but there are also traces of other, more Oriental influences. The interior section has distinctive details, where steps with railings and the open entrance porch are cog-jointed, which gives a sense of more Russian than Norwegian traditions as possible sources of inspiration. The whole building has an extremely personal imprint, created by one of the most remarkable architectural personalities of the period – the architect Harald Sund. Bishop Berggrav was pleased with his architecture, which was both unusual and Norwegian: “This is a wonderful example of Norwegian ecclesiastical style. In my opinion it is completely perfect, as well as being something rather rare these days.”