See more photos of the bronze doors at the bottom of the page.
The doors were created by the artist Dagfin Werenskiold, and the motifs are taken from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:3-11.
In the top panel, surrounded by the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, stands Christ. Below, on the door itself, the motifs of the Sermon on the Mount are depicted. On the left side, from top to bottom, we see the Pure in Heart, the Merciful, Those Who Mourn, and the Persecuted. On the right side, correspondingly, we see the Poor in Spirit, the Peacemakers, the Meek, and Those Who Are Reviled.
At the unveiling in 1938, then Dean Hygen said, among other things: "The artist lets Jesus speak to us through living people, illustrating the Bible with people of our time. By bringing the Bible into everyday life in this way, he has created a sermon on the very door of the church." The bronze doors are a gift from Oslo Sparebank, now Gjensidige NOR.
Dagfin Werenskiold (1892-1977):
Son of the painter Erik Werenskiold, educated in Paris. Werenskiold painted simple, powerful motifs connected to Norwegian folk art. Other works include the decorations in the courtyard of Oslo City Hall (1950), a relief at St. Olav College in Northfield, Minnesota, and the altarpieces in Hornindal and Sandefjord churches.
The text from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:3-11:
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.