We are looking for information of the person who made the altar at our church - or his family.
Information was received about the altar painting from Barb Nord. The painter was Sara Kirkeberg Raugland.
When the church was completed in 1879, the church furniture was very simple, but they managed somehow, thanks to the ingenuity of its members. The first altar was a large grocery box which the women draped in white muslin. For the altar Miss Christine Hovren embroidered a vine covered cross with a silver and gold braid on deep red plush. This was used until 1906 when the main body of the church was rebuilt. This is now framed and on the wall by the doors that lead to the nave (main part) of the church. In 1906, the Ladies Aide purchased the current solid oak altar built by a craftsman from St. Olaf, and the altar painting, “Christ Walking on Water.”
Sara Kickeberg Raugland was the artist of the painting, “Christ Walking on Water.” In 2008, Peter and Elaine Ask from Chatfield, Minnesota attended church service at Trefoldighed Church. They were visiting many churches that have paintings done by the artist. Elaine is a descendant of the artist Sara Kickeberg Raugland and shared with Trefoldighed the Kickeberg family history below:
KIRKEBERG HISTORY
Sara(h) Kirkeberg Raugland
Written by Elaine Ask
In the 1840’s Anders (Andrew) and Ingrid Kickeberg came to America, staying in Buffalo, New York, long enough for Anders to learn more about stone cutting and masonry, his trade in Norway.
They moved to Rock Prairie, Wisconsin, where he built many buildings. They moved to a farm near Dunder, Iowa in 1862. Sara was born in Clayton County, Iowa on July 10, 1862. My Great Grandfather Knute (Knud) Kirkeberg was born in 1853 in Wisconsin. There were 10 children in the family.
Sara attended school in a little red schoolhouse built by her father on the farm. Her teacher considered drawing and painting a waste of time and she got into trouble for sketching pictures in class. Other teachers, however, encouraged this talent and urged her parents to have her take lessons someday.
When Sara was 20, she stayed with her brother Funder in Cummings, North Dakota, where she was encouraged to go to Minneapolis to study art.
In Minneapolis she met Carl Raugland and they married in 1891. They had two children.
Sara started to sell her paintings in the late 1880’s. The Ness Church Young People’s Society of Litchfield, Minnesota, commissioned her to paint “See Jesus Receiving the Sinner” in 1898; for which they had oyster stew suppers and ice cream socials to raise money to pay for it, together with a gift of $15.00 from the congregation. The estimated cost was from $50 to $100. This was the 69th altar painting.
Over the years, Sara painted over 200 church altar paintings which can be found all over Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Idaho, and Michigan, also one in a church of Norway. Although she signed many of her works “Sara” Raugland, she used “Sarah” when her name would appear in self-published catalogs and advertising cards.
Upon the death of Carl in 1918, Sara moved from her home and studio to live with her daughter. At the time there was no longer room for a studio to paint such large paintings. Therefore, to pass her time and continue in her creative abilities, she painted a few small paintings and did crocheting and made piece quilts, etc. Sara was very active until her death on December 6, 1960, at the age of 98.
I have one of her small paintings which was a gift to her sister Christine who was born in 1864 and died in 1946. We think she might have painted this picture earlier in her career as she did not sign the painting. Her sister Christine lived with my Grandmother Ingrid in her later years.
There is a wonderful article about this painter on the following website:
Information was received about the altar painting from Barb Nord. The painter was Sara Kirkeberg Raugland.
When the church was completed in 1879, the church furniture was very simple, but they managed somehow, thanks to the ingenuity of its members. The first altar was a large grocery box which the women draped in white muslin. For the altar Miss Christine Hovren embroidered a vine covered cross with a silver and gold braid on deep red plush. This was used until 1906 when the main body of the church was rebuilt. This is now framed and on the wall by the doors that lead to the nave (main part) of the church. In 1906, the Ladies Aide purchased the current solid oak altar built by a craftsman from St. Olaf, and the altar painting, “Christ Walking on Water.”
Sara Kickeberg Raugland was the artist of the painting, “Christ Walking on Water.” In 2008, Peter and Elaine Ask from Chatfield, Minnesota attended church service at Trefoldighed Church. They were visiting many churches that have paintings done by the artist. Elaine is a descendant of the artist Sara Kickeberg Raugland and shared with Trefoldighed the Kickeberg family history below:
KIRKEBERG HISTORY
Sara(h) Kirkeberg Raugland
Written by Elaine Ask
In the 1840’s Anders (Andrew) and Ingrid Kickeberg came to America, staying in Buffalo, New York, long enough for Anders to learn more about stone cutting and masonry, his trade in Norway.
They moved to Rock Prairie, Wisconsin, where he built many buildings. They moved to a farm near Dunder, Iowa in 1862. Sara was born in Clayton County, Iowa on July 10, 1862. My Great Grandfather Knute (Knud) Kirkeberg was born in 1853 in Wisconsin. There were 10 children in the family.
Sara attended school in a little red schoolhouse built by her father on the farm. Her teacher considered drawing and painting a waste of time and she got into trouble for sketching pictures in class. Other teachers, however, encouraged this talent and urged her parents to have her take lessons someday.
When Sara was 20, she stayed with her brother Funder in Cummings, North Dakota, where she was encouraged to go to Minneapolis to study art.
In Minneapolis she met Carl Raugland and they married in 1891. They had two children.
Sara started to sell her paintings in the late 1880’s. The Ness Church Young People’s Society of Litchfield, Minnesota, commissioned her to paint “See Jesus Receiving the Sinner” in 1898; for which they had oyster stew suppers and ice cream socials to raise money to pay for it, together with a gift of $15.00 from the congregation. The estimated cost was from $50 to $100. This was the 69th altar painting.
Over the years, Sara painted over 200 church altar paintings which can be found all over Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North and South Dakota, Idaho, and Michigan, also one in a church of Norway. Although she signed many of her works “Sara” Raugland, she used “Sarah” when her name would appear in self-published catalogs and advertising cards.
Upon the death of Carl in 1918, Sara moved from her home and studio to live with her daughter. At the time there was no longer room for a studio to paint such large paintings. Therefore, to pass her time and continue in her creative abilities, she painted a few small paintings and did crocheting and made piece quilts, etc. Sara was very active until her death on December 6, 1960, at the age of 98.
I have one of her small paintings which was a gift to her sister Christine who was born in 1864 and died in 1946. We think she might have painted this picture earlier in her career as she did not sign the painting. Her sister Christine lived with my Grandmother Ingrid in her later years.
There is a wonderful article about this painter on the following website: