Sondeled

Søndeled lies at the inner end of a fjord near Norway's southern coast, where a valley and waterways meet the sea. Its medieval stone church was built between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, giving the scattered farms of the district a shared place of worship. Farther out on the coast, Risør developed as a harbour for the timber trade with Dutch merchants.

The local congregation bought Søndeled Church at the church auction of 1723. A tower was added in 1752 and the building enlarged into a cross church in 1768, incorporating timber additions around the older stone walls. The same year as the church auction, Risør received full town privileges, reflecting the growing importance of timber and maritime trade along this part of the coast.