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Vor Frelsers Kirke og Torvets historie
Kjære Vandrer, lad mig føre Dem til Torvet i Christianssand, slik det stod paa min Tid. Tænk Dem Kirken – Vor Frelsers Kirke – rejst i 1738, med dens Taarn vendt mod den gamle Katedralskole. Det var her min Far, Nicolai Wergeland, fik sin første Stilling som Adjunkt i 1806, før han senere blev Kapellan i Kirken.
Rundt Kirken laa Gravene tæt, omgivet af en lav Stenmur. Her fandt Byens Fine deres sidste Hvilested paa den solrige Syd- og Vestsiden, mens de Stakkels Fattige blev henvist til Nordens Skygger. Det var saaledes en Orden, som spejlede Samfundets Rang, selv i Døden.
Den gamle Kirke brændte i 1880, og hvad der staar der i dag, er en nyere og mægtigere Bygning, rejst i 1885. Men dens Funktion som Samlingspunkt er uforandret. Kirken var, og er stadig, et Sted for Sammenkomster, hvor Ideer og Tro blev drøftet og delt. Jeg husker endnu min Fars Stemmes Klang, som fyldte Rum og hjerter – en Klang, der ogsaa naaede ind i vor egen Stue og præget os Børn i mange Henseender.
Statue af biskop J.C. Heuch: En manglende hyldest til kvinder
I dag kan man foran Domkirken finde en Statue af biskop J.C. Heuch, en Mand, som jeg stred imod, da Kvinders Stemmerett blev taget op i Stortinget. Heuch var en mægtig Modstander, men ogsaa et Symbol paa en tid, hvor Kampen mod Kvindeundertrykkelse føltes uendelig.
I 1890, da Sagen om Stemmerett blev diskuteret, erklærede jeg, at hans Modstand – og andre af hans Ligesindede – til syvende og sidst var forgjeves. Tiden arbejdede for vore Ideer.
"Sagen er reddet," skrev jeg triumferende, da hele 44 Mænd paa Stortinget stemte for Forslaget.
Og dog: Hvorfor er det Heuch, der staar paa Pidestallen, mens jeg – og Kvindesagen – endnu ikke er hædret paa lignende vis? Kristiansand skylder sine Kvinder mere end blot en tavs Tak.
Katedralskolen: Et sted for dannelse og begrænsning
Ved Siden af Kirken staar Katedralskolen, en Stolthed for Byen og en af Norges ældste Skoler, grundlagt i 1651. Det var her, min Far underviste som Adjunkt, før hans Karriere som Kapellan og Præst tog fart.
Skolen var en Uddannelsesanstalt for unge Mænd, et Sted for Dannelse og Viden. Vi Kvinder derimod maatte nøjes med at drømme om en Lignende Ret til Kundskaber. Jeg kan ikke lade være med at tænke paa, hvor meget vi gik glip af, fordi Mulighederne var os nægtet.
Bygningen staar der endnu, dog med en anden Funktion. Den minder os om, hvor langt vi er kommet i Kampen for Lighed, men ogsaa om, hvor meget der stadig mangler at opnaas.
Wergelandsparken: En grønn oase for folket
Wergelandsparken, derimod, er et Sted for Glæde og Frihed. Den blev anlagt af min Bror, Oscar Wergeland, som forstod Naturens Værd for Menneskers Samling og Trivsel. Inspireret af mine egne Beretninger om store Europæiske Parker, skabte han denne grønne Oase midt i Byens Hjerte.
Her kan Byens Folk, fra alle Samfundslag, samles. Skranker forsvinder, og Naturen bliver et fælles Rum, hvor Forskelle ikke længere er saa tydelige. Blomstrene i Parken minder mig om vor Bror Henrik, som elskede Naturen saa højt, at hans Vers syntes at spire direkte fra dens Jord.
Torvet som et sted for refleksjon
Saa, kjære Ven, naar De staar paa Torvet, maatte De se forbi Stenene og de moderne Former. Lad Dem ikke kun se, hvad der er der i Dag, men ogsaa hvad der har været.
De Liv og Kampe, som formaet denne Plads, fortjener at mindes. For Tiden har maaske gaaet, men Spørgsmaalene staar tilbage:
Hvor er Kvindens Plads? Hvor er Min?
Og maaske, naar De spejler Dem i Domkirkens Skygger, tænker De paa de mange Kvinder, som ikke blot kjæmpede for deres egne Ret, men for en fremtid, hvor Frihed, Lighed og Sandhed kunde blomstre ligesom Blomsterne i Wergelandsparken.
In English:
Vor Frelsers Church and the History of the Square
Dear Wanderer, let me guide you to the square in Christianssand as it stood in my time. Imagine the church – Vor Frelsers Church – erected in 1738, its tower facing the old Cathedral School. It was here that my father, Nicolai Wergeland, began his career as an adjunct in 1806 before later becoming the church’s chaplain.
Around the church lay graves tightly packed, surrounded by a low stone wall. Here, the city’s elites found their final resting place on the sunny south and west sides, while the poor were relegated to the shadows of the north. Thus, even in death, society’s hierarchy was starkly reflected.
The old church burned down in 1880, and what stands today is a newer, grander building, erected in 1885. Yet its function as a gathering place remains unchanged. The church was, and still is, a site for assemblies where ideas and faith were debated and shared. I can still recall the sound of my father’s voice filling both the room and the hearts of his listeners – a sound that also reached into our own home, shaping us children in many ways.
The Statue of Bishop J.C. Heuch: A Missing Tribute to Women
Today, in front of the cathedral, one can find a statue of Bishop J.C. Heuch, a man I opposed when the issue of women’s suffrage was brought to the Storting. Heuch was a formidable adversary, but also a symbol of a time when the fight against the oppression of women felt endless.
In 1890, when the suffrage issue was debated, I declared that his resistance – and that of others like him – would ultimately be in vain. Time was working in our favor.
“The cause is saved,” I wrote triumphantly, when no fewer than 44 men in the Storting voted in favor of the proposal.
And yet: why is it Heuch who stands upon the pedestal, while I – and the women’s cause – remain without such recognition? Kristiansand owes its women more than just a silent thank you.
The Cathedral School: A Place of Learning and Limitation
Beside the church stands the Cathedral School, a pride of the city and one of Norway’s oldest schools, founded in 1651. It was here my father taught as an adjunct before his career as a chaplain and priest took off.
The school was an institution of learning for young men, a place of education and knowledge. We women, on the other hand, could only dream of similar access to education. I cannot help but think of all we missed out on because those opportunities were denied to us.
The building still stands, though its function has changed. It reminds us of how far we’ve come in the fight for equality, but also of how much remains to be achieved.
Wergelandsparken: A Green Oasis for the People
Wergelandsparken, on the other hand, is a place of joy and freedom. It was created by my brother, Oscar Wergeland, who understood the value of nature for human gathering and well-being. Inspired by my own accounts of grand European parks, he created this green oasis in the heart of the city.
Here, people from all walks of life can come together. Barriers disappear, and nature becomes a shared space where differences are no longer so apparent. The flowers in the park remind me of our brother Henrik, who loved nature so deeply that his verses seemed to sprout directly from its soil.
The Square as a Place for Reflection
So, dear friend, when you stand on the square, try to look beyond the stones and modern shapes. Do not see only what is there today but also what once was.
The lives and struggles that shaped this place deserve to be remembered. For while time may have passed, the questions remain:
Where is the woman’s place? Where is mine?
And perhaps, as you catch your reflection in the shadows of the cathedral, you will think of the many women who fought not only for their own rights but for a future where freedom, equality, and truth could flourish, like the flowers in Wergelandsparken.
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