Bergen, Norway, November 28, 2025
Photo: helligebebudelsen.no
The Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary Orthodox Parish in Bergen, Norway has announced a fundraising campaign to support the renovation and beautification of their worship space, with a goal of raising 1.5 million Norwegian kroner (approximately $150,000) by March 1, 2026.
The parish, which belongs to the Archdiocese of Orthodox Russian Tradition Churches in Western Europe under His Eminence Metropolitan John of Dubna, plans to incorporate elements of Norwegian traditional architecture and art into the church’s design. The project will include the carving and construction of an iconostasis with hand-painted icons, the crafting of liturgical furnishings, improvements to acoustics and lighting, and a general renovation of the space, the parish reports.
Photo: helligebebudelsen.no
The design concept draws inspiration from Norway’s distinctive stave churches and traditional art forms including wood carving, textile work, and rosemaling, a form of decorative painting. All work will be carried out using natural materials and traditional techniques.
The beautification project forms part of the doctoral research of Hanne Svane, the parish matushka and an icon painter who is currently pursuing a PhD in traditional art at the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts in London. Her research explores the relationship between universal and regional elements in iconography and how cultural particularity can be communicated alongside the universality of the Orthodox Church.
Photo: helligebebudelsen.no
The parish is led by Archpriest Theodor Svane, a graduate of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York who previously served at St. Seraphim Orthodox Cathedral in Santa Rosa, California before returning to Norway with his family in 2017.
The international mission parish celebrates services in Norwegian.
Read more about the campaign on the parish website, including information about how to donate online or via bank transfer in the U.S. or in Europe.
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