Old Karasjok Church ( no, Karasjok gamle kirke) is a former

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 ...

Karasjok Municipality ( se, Kárášjohka ; fkv, Kaarasjoki) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Karasjok. Other villages include Dorvonjárga, Šuoššjávri, and Váljohka. Th ...

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 in the village of Karasjok. It used to be the main church for the Karasjok

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

Indre Finnmark prosti Indre (; oc, Endre) is a landlocked department in central France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are known as the ''Indriens'' (masculine; ) and ''Indriennes'' (feminine; ). Indre is part of the current administ ...

(

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 Old Karasjok Church is the oldest Lutheran church in Finnmark county, and the only building in the municipality to survive

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

undamaged. The church is no longer regularly used, but it is utilized occasionally for special situations such as weddings.

History

The white, wooden church was built in 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 ...

style in 1807 on the basis of designs by the

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 ...

Daniel Storch. It served as the main parish church for Karasjok from 1807 until 1974 when the new Karasjok Church was completed. In 1858, the

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 ...

was enlarged by adding on to the building. Until 1902, the church had a domed

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * Mi ...

, but in 1902 a steeple was built to replace the dome.

Media gallery

Karasjok church Savio.jpg, ''Karasjok kirke'' by

John Savio John Andreas Savio (28 January 1902 – 13 April 1938Nerhus, Hans (1982) ''John Andreas Savio : Same og kunstner : En monografi'', Forlaget Form og Farge, Oslo. . ) was a Sami artist from Norway who was known for his woodcuts. He is thought t ...

(1927) Karasjok gamle kirke fra veien.JPG, Karasjok gamle kyrkje Wilse.jpeg, Karasjok gamle kyrkje.jpg, NH BD Karasjok gamle kirke.jpg, NH BD Karasjok kirke innvendig.jpg,

References

{{use dmy dates, date=February 2021 Karasjok Churches in Finnmark Wooden churches in Norway Cruciform churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1807 1807 establishments in Norway Millennium sites

History

Media gallery

See also

References