Country Norway District Sørlandet Adm. Center Holt | County Aust-Agder Municipality ID NO-0914 | |
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Created as Formannskapsdistrikt in 1838 Weather 4°C, Wind SW at 13 km/h, 98% Humidity | ||
Holt is a former municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is currently located in the present-day municipality of Tvedestrand in the Sørlandet region. It is located along the Nordkalottruta.
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The church at Holt probably dates from the twelfth century and has an ancient font. The interior was decorated by Torsten Hoff.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Holt farm (Old Norse: Holt), since the first church was built there. The name comes from skogholt (lund) which means "grove (of trees)".
History
The municipality (originally the parish) of Holt was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). According to the 1835 census, the municipality had a population of 3,116.
On 1 January 1881, a part of Holt with 52 inhabitants was moved to the neighboring municipality of Dypvåg, and on 1 July 1919 another part of Holt with 14 inhabitants was moved to the neighboring municipality of Moland. On 1 January 1960, Holt (population: 3,759), Dypvåg (population: 1,805), and Tvedestrand (population: 868) were merged to form an enlarged municipality of Tvedestrand.
Holt Church
Holt church (Holt Kirke) is a cruciform church dating from the 1100s. The medieval era church was constructed of stone. In 1753, it was expanded. The extension, choir and transepts were built of wood. The rebuilt church was also equipped with a chancel arch, decorated in rococo. The church has a baptismal font in soapstone, carved in high Gothic style. The Baroque altarpiece from 1732 is carved with a painting of Jesus in Gethsemane.