St. Ansgar's Church

St. Ansgar's Church is a red brick building located in central Kristiansand and serves as the only Roman Catholic church in the Agder region. The structure stands out in the city with its distinctive color and provides space for regular religious services and community gatherings.

The Catholic community in Kristiansand began in 1890 under the leadership of Wilhelm Hartmann, a priest from Munster, who established the first parish. These early beginnings formed the foundation for church life in the city today.

The church serves a diverse congregation through services held in Norwegian, Vietnamese, and Polish, reflecting the many nationalities among its regular worshippers. This linguistic variety shapes daily life within the building and shows how the place brings together people from different parts of the world.

The building is located at Kirkegata 3 in the center and is easily reached on foot, with the surrounding area providing adequate space for visitors. Regular services take place on weekends, and an English-language Mass is offered to serve different language groups.

Sisters of St. Joseph arrived in 1891 and acquired multiple adjacent properties where they operated a hospital until 1967. This facility shaped medical care in the city for several decades.