Helgøy Church ( no, Helgøy kirke) is a historic

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 ...

Karlsøy Municipality Karlsøy ( sme, Gálssa suohkan) is an island municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hansnes. Other villages include Dåfjord, Hessfjord, Karlsøya, Torsvåg, Vannv� ...

Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; sme, Romsa ja Finnmárku ; fkv, Tromssa ja Finmarkku; fi, Tromssa ja Finnmark, lit. Troms and Finnmark in English language, English), is a Counties of Norway, county in Northern Norway, northern Norway that was established ...

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 on the small unpopulated island of Helgøya. It is a little-used annex church for the Karlsøy

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 350-seat church is no longer in regular use since the island of Helgøya is no longer populated. The last confirmation class at the church was confirmed in 1966. The population of the island decreased steadily until it no longer had permanent residents. Today, the island is used for summer vacation homes and the church is now only used on occasion for special services, including one summer service each year.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1580, but the church was likely built in the late 1400s and was subject to the priest in Tromsø. The old church was located about northwest of the present church site. A new church was built on the site around the year 1660. This was a

timber-framed Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

long church Church building in Norway began when Christianity was established there around the year 1000. The first buildings may have been post churches erected in the 10th or 11th century, but the evidence is inconclusive. For instance under Urnes Stave C ...

with a west tower,

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

, and an entry porch. Around 1889, the old church was torn down and replaced with a church from another location. The new church was built about to the southeast on the island of Helgøya. This new church was not actually new—it had a long history before arriving at Helgøy. The building was originally constructed in 1741 as

Hemnes Church Hemnes Church ( no, Hemnes kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Hemnes Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Hemnesberget. It is the church for the Hemnes parish which is part of the Indre Helgel ...

Hemnes Hemnes is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Korgen. Other villages include Bjerka, Bleikvasslia, Hemnesberget, and Sund. ...

municipality in

Helgeland Helgeland is the most southerly district in Northern Norway. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of Nordland county that is located south of the Arctic Circle. It is bordered in the north by the Saltfjellet mountains and Svartise ...

. Then, in 1872, the building was taken down and moved to Hamn in

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states *Berg (state), county and duchy of the Holy ...

municipality on

Senja or is an island in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway, Europe. With an area of , it is the second largest island in Norway (outside of the Svalbard archipelago). It has a wild, mountainous outer (western) side facing the Atlantic, and a mild ...

island. It was rebuilt there as a church by the nickel plant. When the plant closed in 1888, the church was once again dismantled and moved to Helgøya to replace the earlier church building. This newly rebuilt church was

consecrate Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

d on 7 March 1889 by the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Johannes Skaar. This "new" white, wooden church was built in a

style with a steeple. The church seats about 350 people.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Helgoy Church Churches in Troms Wooden churches in Norway Karlsøy Churches completed in 1741 Churches completed in 1889 18th-century Church of Norway church buildings 15th-century establishments in Norway

History

See also

References