Sandsøy Church ( no, Sandsøy kirke) is a parish church 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 ...

Harstad Municipality ( se, Hárstták) is the second-most populated municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is mostly located on the large island of Hinnøya. The municipal center is the town of Harstad, the most populous town in Central Hålogaland, ...

in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Sandsøy on the island of Sandsøya. It is one of the churches for the Vågsfjord parish which is part of the

Trondenes prosti Trondenes is an old parish and former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located along the western shore of the Vågsfjorden in what is now Harstad Municipality. T ...

(

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 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 1888 using plans drawn up by the architect

Ole Scheistrøen Ole Olsen Scheistrøen (16 August 1833 – 4 February 1921) was a Norwegian architect and builder. Scheistrøen had no formal architectural education and he, in fact, referred to himself as a builder and not an architect. However, he designe ...

. The church seats about 200 people.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1350, but the church was likely built during the 1200s. The church was subordinate to the

Trondenes Church Trondenes Church ( no, Trondenes kirke) is the northernmost medieval stone church of Norway and the world's northernmost surviving medieval building. It is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Harstad Municipality in Troms og Finnmark count ...

parish for several centuries. Around the year 1640, a new church was built on the site. Historical records do not agree as to the reasons for the new church. Historians have two theories that are partially supported with evidence. One theory is that the old church was torn down around the year 1600 and a new church was built, but around the year 1633, the new church burned down and had to be replaced with a new building on the same site (around 1640). The other theory is that the old church was in poor condition, so around 1640, the church was torn down and replaced with a new building. Regardless which theory is accurate, a new church was built on the island around the year 1640. In 1731, the church was separated from Trondenes to become a parish of its own. In 1750, the church was described as a log building with a cruciform design. That church was torn down in 1765 and its materials were sold in an auction. A new cruciform church was built on the site in 1766 to serve the parish. During the 1800s, the nearby

Bjarkøy Church Bjarkøy Church ( no, Bjarkøy kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Harstad Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Nergården on the island of Bjarkøya. It is one of the churches for the ...

on the neighboring island of Bjarkøya was torn down and without a church. In the 1880s, it was decided to close Sandsøy Church and move the building to Bjarkøya. So in 1885–1886, the building was disassembled and moved to the neighboring island of

Bjarkøya Bjarkøya is an island in Harstad Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The island is located north of the island of Grytøya and northwest of the island of Sandsøya. The Andfjorden lies to the northwest and the Vågsfjorden lies ...

, where it is located in the village of

Nergården Nergården or Nergård is a village in the northern part of Harstad Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village was the administrative centre of the former municipality of Bjarkøy until 2013 when it was merged into Harstad. It ...

and it is now called

. At that point, there was no longer a Sandsøy Church, but the residents wanted a church on their island, so they built a new Sandsøy Church in 1888. That building is still in use as the Sandsøy Church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandsoy Church Harstad Churches in Troms Wooden churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1888 13th-century establishments in Norway Long churches in Norway

History

See also

References