The Moravian missions in Greenland ( kl, Qatanngutigiinniat; da, Brødremenigheden; german: Herrnhuters) were established by the

Moravian Church The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...

or United Brethren and operated between 1733 and 1900. They were operated under the auspices of the Royal Danish College of Missions until its dissolution in 1859 and were finally surrendered to the Lutheran

Church of Denmark The Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark or National Church, sometimes called the Church of Denmark ( da, Folkekirken, literally: "The People's Church" or unofficially da, Den danske folkekirke, literally: "The Danish People's Church"; kl, ...

in 1900. Missionaries were allocated to the region and sometimes even sent wives who had been chosen for them and approved by the drawing of lots, a form of

Cleromancy Cleromancy is a form of sortition (casting of lots) in which an outcome is determined by means that normally would be considered random, such as the rolling of dice, but that are sometimes believed to reveal the will of a deity. In classical civ ...

. They included: *

Neu-Herrnhut Old Nuuk may refer to several neighborhoods of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. The Lutheran mission was originally based on Hope Island at the head of the fjord but was moved to the mainland and christened Godthaab by the royal governor Claus Paa ...

(settled by

Matthäus Stach Matthäus Stach (sometimes anglicized to Matthew Stach) (March 4, 1711, Mankovice – December 21, 1787, Bethabara) was a Moravian missionary in Greenland. Life Matthäus Stach was born in Mankendorf in Moravia (today Mankovice in the Czech Repub ...

Christian Stach Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, and

Christian David Christian David (1692–1751) was a German Lutheran missionary, writer and hymnwriter. He travelled as a missionary of the Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine, the Moravian Church, to Greenland and to Native Americans. He is known as the author of hymn stan ...

in 1733 and formally established in 1747 at modern

Nuuk Nuuk (; da, Nuuk, formerly ) is the capital and largest city of Greenland, a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark. Nuuk is the seat of government and the country's largest cultural and economic centre. The major cities from other co ...

) * Lichtenfels (founded by Matthaeus Stach,

Jens Haven Jens Haven (June 23, 1724 – April 16, 1796) was a Danish-Canadian Moravian missionary and the prime mover behind the founding of the Moravian missions in Labrador. Biography Jens Haven was born at Sønderhaven in Vust parish, Jammerbugt, ...

, and

Peter Haven Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

in 1748,Lüdecke, Cornelia.
East Meets West: Meteorological observations of the Moravians in Greenland and Labrador since the 18th century
". ''History of Meteorology'' 2, 2005. 1754,Cranz, David & al.
The History of Greenland: including an account of the mission carried on by the United Brethren in that country
'. Longman, 1820. 1757,American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.
Biography: Life of Matthew Stach
. ''The Missionary Herald'', #19. Samuel T. Armstrong, 1823. or 1758Mission in Greenland
. ''The Christian Library: Comprising a Series of Standard Works in Religious Literature.'' Key & Biddle, 1833. at modern Akunnat) * Lichtenau (founded by Gotfried Grillich in 1774 at modern

Alluitsoq Alluitsoq, formerly spelled Agdluitsok, is a former settlement in southern Greenland, located on the Alluitsoq or Lichtenau Fjord near Cape Farewell. It is about 13 kilometers from Ammassivik (Sletten), located on the opposite side of the ...

) * Friedrichsthal (founded by Conrad Kleinschmidt (1768–1832)Del, Anden.
''Grønland som del af den bibelske fortælling – en 1700-tals studie''
" Greenland as Part of the Biblical Narrative – a Study of the 18th-Century" in 1824 at modern

Narsarmijit Narsarmijit, formerly Narsaq Kujalleq and Frederiksdal, is a settlement in southern Greenland. It is located in the Kujalleq municipality near Cape Thorvaldsen. Its population was 66 in 2020. There has been a slow but steady pattern of emigratio ...

) *

Umanak Uummannaq is a town in the Avannaata municipality, in central-western Greenland. With 1,407 inhabitants in 2020, it is the eighth-largest town in Greenland, and is home to the country's most northerly ferry terminal. Founded in 1763 as Omenak, t ...

(founded in 1861 and located upfjord from

Hodge, Frederick Webb.
Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico
', Vol. 4. Smithsonian Institution, reprinted by Digital Scanning Inc, 2003.) *

Idlorpait Idlorpait is a former Moravian mission in southernmost Greenland located between the missions at Lichtenau and Friedrichsthal.Lüdecke, Cornelia.East Meets West: Meteorological observations of the Moravians in Greenland and Labrador since the 18 ...

(founded in 1864 between Lichtenau and Friedrichsthal) A large factor in their favor despite the Danish Mission College's having already named

Hans Egede Hans Poulsen Egede (31 January 1686 – 5 November 1758) was a Dano-Norwegian Lutheran missionary who launched mission efforts to Greenland, which led him to be styled the Apostle of Greenland. He established a successful mission among the Inui ...

as the director of mission work in the territory was the failure of Egede's own

Bergen Greenland Company The Bergen Greenland Company ( da, Det Bergen Grønlandske CompagnieOswalt, Wendell H. Eskimos and Explorers'. Univ. of Nebraska Press, 1999.) or Bergen Company (''Bergenkompagniet''Culture Greenland.." Sisimiut Museum. Accessed 2 May 2012.) was a D ...

and a costly debacle involving the royal colony under Major

Claus Paarss Major Claus Enevold Paarss (18 February 1683 – 26 May 1762) was a Danish military officer and official. Retired from service,Marquardt, Ole"Change and Continuity in Denmark's Greenland Policy"in ''The Oldenburg Monarchy: An Underestimated Empi ...

. Considering Greenland's sparse population, particularly after a smallpox epidemic from 1733 to 1735 brought by an

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

youth returning from Denmark, ironically, one of the very same who so inspired Count Zinzendorf to begin the Moravian Church's missions in the first place the missions were, after a settling-in period, very successful. The United Brotherhood delivered the timber and erected the first church in 1747.Brown, William.
The History of Missions: Or, Of the Propagation of Christianity Among the Heathen, Since the Reformation
'. B. Coles V.D.M., 1816. Lichtenau was for a time the largest settlement in Greenland. However, the missions were forced to pay for their freight after the Greenland monopoly was granted to the

General Trade Company The General Trade Company ( da, Det almindelige Handelskompagni) was a Dano-Norwegian trading company charged with administering the realm's settlements and trade in Greenland. The company existed from 1747 to 1774 and managed the government of Gre ...

and the

Royal Greenland Trading Department The Royal Greenland Trading Department ( da, Den Kongelige Grønlandske Handel, KGH) was a Danish state enterprise charged with administering the realm's settlements and trade in Greenland. The company managed the government of Greenland from 177 ...

Instruction of 1782 The Royal Greenland Trading Department ( da, Den Kongelige Grønlandske Handel, KGH) was a Danish state enterprise charged with administering the realm's settlements and trade in Greenland. The company managed the government of Greenland from 1774 ...

discouraged further urbanization or acculturation of the local Inuit, whose hunting the company depended upon for its income, and greatly hindered further mission work. Neu-Herrnhut.jpg, A portrait of the New Herrnhut mission around 1770 KRABBE(22) Greenland. The Herrnhut mission station Lichtenfels (11943529563).jpg, Lichtenfels KRABBE(23) Greenland. The Herrnhut mission station Uummannaq at the bay of Nuuk (11727305740).jpg, Uummannaq at the bay of Nuuk

References

{{reflist, 2 History of Greenland Moravian Church in Greenland Christian missions in North America Settlements of the Moravian Church

See also

References