The luminous cross on the church tower at the newly built Skauen church in Skien provokes some of the neighbors, who think it is annoying.

The church building, inaugurated in August this year, is located next to a residential area. But now, a neighbor has complained to the Municipality about the glowing cross on the church tower.

“I think the huge luminous cross on the new church building of the Evangelical Lutheran church community at Skauen is very annoying,” a letter to Skien Municipality states.

“The luminous cross is annoying because we live in a residential area with a diversity of views. And it seems provocative because it is dominant and is glows 24 hours a day,” the neighbor told the newspaper Telemarksavisa.

He emphasized that it is not the light itself that is troublesome.

“The congregation may have a cross on the outside of the building, but it should not be necessary for it to be luminous or placed so high up on the tower,” the neighbor stated.

Open to feedback

Pastor Fred Arve Fahre at Skauen church states that the church tower is about 10 meters high. The cross itself is about two meters high. He says they are open to both positive and negative feedback.

“We are proud of our cross. It is part of our culture, we see it when the Norwegian flag is waving. And for us, it is the symbol of our hope and our faith. That is why we want to highlight it,” he told the newspaper.

Note: The picture used is for illustration purposes only.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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