Thieves made off with a Renaissance painting estimated to be worth up to $US2.8 million ($A4.4 million) from a church in southern Norway at the weekend, media reported.

The thieves climbed a ladder in the early hours of Sunday morning and smashed a window at the Larvik church to grab the painting, `La de smaa barn komme til meg', by German Renaissance artist Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553), the head of the police operation Petter Aronsen told Norwegian news agency NTB.

International police bulletins have been sent out around the world for the painting, believed to be around 450 years old.

"We have no suspects for the time being, and are very interested in any tips from people who may have seen or heard something," Aronsen said.

Painted on wood, the artwork depicts Jesus surrounded by children. It measures around one metre by one metre.

The painting has hung in the Larvik church south of Oslo since it was built in 1677.

Norwegian art expert Gunnar Krogh-Hansen estimated the painting's value at up to $US2.8 million ($A4.4 million), online news site VG Nett reported.