Dønnes Church ( no, Dønnes kirke) is a 13th-century

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of the Church of Norway in Dønna Municipality in Nordland county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. It is located in the village of

Dønnes Dønnes is a former municipality in the Helgeland traditional region in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1888 until its dissolution in 1962. The former municipality encompassed the northern part of the island of Dønna ...

on the northern part of the island of Dønna. It is one of the churches for the Dønna

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

which is part of the Nord-Helgeland prosti ( deanery) in the

Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland Sør-Hålogaland is a diocese in the Church of Norway. The Diocese covers the Lutheran Church of Norway churches located within Nordland county in Norway. The diocese is headquartered in the town of Bodø at Bodø Cathedral, the seat of the ...

. The stone church was built in a long church style during the 13th century using plans drawn up by an unknown

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. Some of the interior decorations include ''Madonna with Child'' from 1200s, a figure of St. Laurentius (''St. Lavrans'') from the 1400s, and a carved

Baroque style The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

pulpit from the 1600s. The altarpiece is from 1670.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1308, but the church was likely built during the first half of the 1200s, and there may have been a church on the site prior to the construction of this stone church. In 1584, written descriptions of the church state that it was in such poor condition that it was preferable to have the worship services outside in the graveyard rather than inside the building. In 1651, the church was purchased by

Preben von Ahnen Preben von Ahnen (18 September 1606 – 15 November 1675) was a Norwegian civil servant and landowner. Preben von Ahnen was born on the island of Rügen, off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea. He was a son of Pomeranian nobleman Staffen ...

. In 1675, the church was sold to Peter Christoffersen Tønder. In 1796, the church was sold to a Mission College. In 1814, this church served as an

election church An election church ( no, valgkirke) is a term used for approximately 300 churches in Norway that were used as polling stations during the elections to the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll in 1814. This was Norway's first national election ...

( no, valgkirke). Together with more than 300 other parish churches across Norway, it was a polling station for elections to the 1814

Norwegian Constituent Assembly The Norwegian Constituent Assembly (in Norwegian ''Grunnlovsforsamlingen'', also known as ''Riksforsamlingen'') is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway, that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised t ...

which wrote the Constitution of Norway. This was Norway's first national elections. Each

church parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

was a constituency that elected people called "electors" who later met together in each county to elect the representatives for the assembly that was to meet in

Eidsvoll Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet. General information ...

later that year. In 1824, the church was sold out of private ownership to the people of

. In 1866, the western part of the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

was torn down and rebuilt wider and longer so that the church would increase its capacity. The stone church has been renovated several times since then. In the 1960s and 1970s, Dønnes Church was examined and arranging under the leadership of

Håkon Christie Håkon Andreas Christie (30 August 1922 – 14 December 2010) was a Norwegian architectural historian, antiquarian and author. Together with his wife, Sigrid Marie Christie (18 April 1923 - 16 May 2004) he worked from 1950 on the history of Nor ...

. Restoration work was completed in 1974.

Media gallery

Dønneskirke.jpg, Rear view of Dønnes Church Dønnes kirke02.JPG, View from a distance Dønnes kirke01.JPG, Exterior view Dønnes Kirke, Vindu 03.jpg, Interior windows Dønnes Kirke, Interiør 01.jpg, Interior view Dønnes Kirke, Utsmykning 03.jpg, Statue of St Laurentius Dønnes Kirke, Interiør 02.jpg, Altar Dønnes Kirke, Altertavle.jpg, Christ risen Dønnes Kirke, Mausoleum.jpg, Door to the mausoleum Dønnes Kirke, Utsmykning.jpg, Madonna and child

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donnes Church Dønna Churches in Nordland Stone churches in Norway 13th-century churches in Norway 13th-century establishments in Norway Norwegian election church Long churches in Norway

History

Media gallery

See also

References