Vadsø Church has a monumental building aspect, as it towers above at the top of the street Kirkegata, on Bakken. The previous church burned in 1944, and in the regulation plan done by the architect Borchsenius in 1947, it was proposed to localise the new church on the old site. In terms of town planning, it is interesting that the nave is positioned in a north-south direction

this breaks with tradition and the old church's orientation. The impressive front side of the church is south facing, overlooking the town centre and the fjord, acting like an upper wall in the town vicinity near the street Kirkegata.

This church was one of the last works done by the architect Magnus Poulsson (1881-1958), one of the two architects behind the Oslo City Hall commission. Vadsø Church was consecrated after a 4-year construction period in 1958. This was the same year the renowned architect passed away. Poulsson had however worked with a number of different proposal designs over a period of several years. The first proposal was issued in Byggekunst in 1947. This proposal illustrated a composite complex that was comprised of a nave, parish hall and vicarage - similar to the Bodø Cathedral, but smaller.

1954-1958

Magnus Poulsson

Vadsø Parish

Church

Cast-in-place concrete

church

cast-in-place concrete

reinforced concrete

Byggekunst 3-4/1947 p 36.

Lexau, Siri Skjold, "1900-tallet - det store spranget", in Norsk arkitekturhistorie. Frå steinalder og bronsealder til det 21.hundreåret, Oslo 2003, p 352.