Elverhøy Church ( no, Elverhøy kirke) is a

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 The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...

Tromsø Municipality Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø. Tromsø lies ...

Troms Troms (; se, Romsa; fkv, Tromssa; fi, Tromssa) is a former county in northern Norway. On 1 January 2020 it was merged with the neighboring Finnmark county to create the new Troms og Finnmark county. This merger is expected to be reversed by t ...

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 t ...

. It is located in the city of Tromsø. It is the church for the Elverhøy

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 ...

which is part of the Tromsø domprosti (arch-

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

) in the

Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland Nord-Hålogaland ( no, Nord-Hålogaland bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers the Church of Norway churches in Troms og Finnmark county as well as in the territory of Svalbard. The diocese is seated in the city of Tromsø ...

. The church was built in its current location in 1974 and it now seats about 435 people.

History

This church building was originally built in 1803 on the site of the present

Tromsø Cathedral Tromsø Cathedral ( no, Tromsø domkirke) is a cathedral of the Church of Norway located in the city of Tromsø in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The cathedral is the church for the ''Tromsø Domkirkens'' parish and it ...

. The church, then simply known as ''Tromsø Church'' served the whole city of Tromsø. In 1814, this building 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) for the city of Tromsø. 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 th ...

which wrote the

Constitution of Norway nb, Kongeriket Norges Grunnlov nn, Kongeriket Noregs Grunnlov , jurisdiction =Kingdom of Norway , date_created =10 April - 16 May 1814 , date_ratified =16 May 1814 , system =Constitutional monarchy , b ...

. 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 E ...

later that year. In 1844, the new

Diocese of Hålogaland The Diocese of Hålogaland ( no, Hålogaland bispedømme, historically: ) was a diocese in the Church of Norway. The Diocese covered the Lutheran Church of Norway churches located within all of Northern Norway (including Nordland, Troms, and F ...

was established and Tromsø was to be the seat of the Bishop. A new

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

was commissioned and in 1861, the new

was completed. This new cathedral was on the same site as the Tromsø Church, so prior to building the new cathedral, the old church was dismantled and moved a few hundred meters south of the city boundary. It was located outside the city and was then known as the ''Landkirke'' (meaning rural church) and later it was renamed the ''Tromsøysund Church''. During that time, it was the

for the municipality of

Tromsøysund Tromsøysund is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The municipality encompassed most of what is now Tromsø Municipality including areas on the island of Kvaløya ...

. After the new Tromsdalen Church was built in 1965 as the new "main church" for Tromsøysund, this church was eventually closed, dismantled, and moved once again. In 1974, this church building was reopened as ''Elverhøy Church'', about west of the city centre of Tromsø on the island of

Tromsøya or is an island in Tromsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It lies in the Tromsøysundet strait between the mainland and the larger island of Kvaløya. The city of Tromsø is located on the island, which has 39,882 residents ...

. A full basement was built for its present location, making room for a parish hall, kitchen, cloakroom, and bathroom facilities. It is now somewhat different than its original design. Now, the red, wooden church is a

cruciform Cruciform is a term for physical manifestations resembling a common cross or Christian cross. The label can be extended to architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described ...

design constructed with cog jointed timber and the siding is vertical panelling. There is a large

steeple In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religi ...

over the main entrance now that was not originally present when it was built in 1803.

Gallery

Elverhøy chapel Tromsø.jpg, Exterior view Orgelgalleri Elverhøy.jpg, Organ Loft Prekestolen i Elverhøy.jpg, Pulpit Døpefont Elverhøy.jpg, Baptismal Font Alter Elverhøy2.jpg, Altar Koret i Elverhøy kirke.jpg, Pulpit and Altar

References

External links

Elverhøy kirke website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elverhoy Church Churches in Tromsø Churches in Troms Cruciform churches in Norway Wooden churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1803 1974 establishments in Norway Norwegian election church

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links