Sagfjord Church ( no, Sagfjord kirke or sme, Rivtakvuona girkko) 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 ...

Hamarøy Municipality Hamarøy ( smj, Hábmer) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Oppeid. Other villages include Drag, Innhavet, Karlsøy, ...

Nordland Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trøndelag in the south, N ...

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

Karlsøy 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, Vannvå ...

on the island of Finnøya. It is one of the churches for the Sagfjord

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

Ofoten prosti Ofoten is a traditional district in Nordland county in Northern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Tysfjord, Ballangen, Evenes, Tjeldsund, Narvik, and Lødingen. It is named after the main fjord, Ofotfjorden, which is at the cente ...

(

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 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 pres ...

. The white, wooden church was built in a

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 ...

style in 1886 using plans drawn up 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 ...

S. Mathisen. The church seats about 130 people.

History

The first church on this site was built during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. Not much is known about that building. At some point the church was closed and torn down. In 1885, it was decided to move the old Hamarøy Church from

Presteid Presteid is a village in the municipality of Hamarøy in Nordland county, Norway. It is located immediately east of the village of Oppeid, along the Presteidfjorden. Presteid is part of the Oppeid urban area which has a population (2018) of 551. ...

to the village of

on the nearby island of Finnøya. After the move it would be known as the Sagfjord Church. The old church was originally built in 1775 (in Presteid as Hamarøy Church) and in 1840 the church was renovated and repaired. In 1886, the materials were moved to Karlsøy and rebuilt as the new Sagfjord Church (on the same site as the medieval church that once served this area). The new church is made up of four sections in a row: tower,

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 ...

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

, and

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 ...

. The main entrance is on top of a steep flight of outside steps at the foot of the tower. Under the tower is an entry porch that also includes stairs up to the 2nd floor seating in a balcony as well as to the clock tower. A set of double doors separates the entry area from the rectangular nave. Beyond the nave is a small, square-shaped choir. Behind the altar panel, is a hidden door which leads to the sacristy which is a smaller square shaped room.

Media gallery

Kirkested Sagfjord.JPG Sagfjord kirke (Hamarøy) 01.jpg Sagfjord kirke (Hamarøy) 02.jpg

References

{{use dmy dates, date=March 2021 Hamarøy Churches in Nordland Wooden churches in Norway 18th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1775 1886 establishments in Norway Long churches in Norway

History

Media gallery

See also

References