Skåtøy Church ( no, Skåtøy kirke) 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 in Kragerø Municipality in

Vestfold og Telemark Vestfold og Telemark (; ) is a county under disestablishment in Norway. The county is the southernmost one of Eastern Norway and consists of two distinct and separate traditional regions: the former counties of Telemark and (most of) Vestfold ...

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 the ...

. It is located on the island of

Skåtøy ''Skåtøy is the largest island in Kragerø municipality in Telemark county, Norway. Skåtøy was formerly a municipality. Skåtøy was separated from Sannidal January 1, 1882. It was merged with Kragerø January 1, 1960. Skåtøy is the bigg ...

which is located in the skerries just offshore from the town of Kragerø. It is the church for the Skåtøy

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 o ...

which is part of the Bamble prosti ( deanery) in the

Diocese of Agder og Telemark The Diocese of Agder og Telemark ( no, Agder og Telemark bispedømme) is a diocese of the Church of Norway, covering all of Agder county and most of Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. The cathedral city is Kristiansand, Norway's fifth larges ...

. The white, wooden church was built in a long church design in 1862 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 ...

Heinrich Ernst Schirmer Heinrich Ernst Schirmer (27 August 1814 – 6 December 1887) was a German-born architect most noted for his work in Norway. Schirmer worked in Norway from 1838 to 1883 and left his mark on a number of public buildings. He contributed significant ...

and

Wilhelm von Hanno Andreas Friedrich Wilhelm von Hanno (15 December 1826 – 12 December 1882) was a German-born Norwegian architect, sculptor and painter. He was among the leading architects in Norway during the middle of the 1800s. Biography Wilhelm von Hanno ...

. The church seats about 600 people. The church is sometimes nicknamed the ''Cathedral of the Skerries'' ( no, Skjærgårdskatedralen). This historical site is reachable by boat and recalls Kragerø's "golden days". The surrounding 500 islands were the home of farmers, fishermen, lumberjacks and sailors from the 17th century. It is one of the largest churches in Norway built of wood, with seats for 600 people. It was considered the most important church in the region until around 1960.

History

During the 19th century there were demands for a local church on the island of Skåtøy. In 1851, a cemetery was consecrated for local use. Nearly ten years later, approval was given to build a church at the cemetery.

and

were hired to design the new church. The church was consecrated on 5 September 1862 by the provost of Bamble prosti when Bishop

Jacob von der Lippe Jacob von der Lippe (27 September 1797–2 October 1878) was a Norwegian politician and priest who served as Bishop of the Diocese of Christianssand from 1841 to 1875. He was also a member of the Parliament of Norway for a total of eight ...

was unable to attend. The building is a wooden long church. There was a major refurbishment for the jubilee in 1912, and in 1914 the bell tower was rebuilt. In 1918, a new altarpiece was installed and it was painted by Julie Gjessing. The motif is from the Gospel of Mark 1:35 ("Early the next morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, went out and went to a deserted place, and prayed there") and portrayed Jesus in prayer. There was renovation in 1930 and again in 1954. In winter when there is often lower attendance, a smaller room called the ''Winter Church'' is used on the 2nd floor behind the organ gallery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skaatoy Church Kragerø Churches in Vestfold og Telemark Long churches in Norway Wooden churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1862 1862 establishments in Norway

History

See also

References