Tana Church ( no, Tana 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 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 ...

Deatnu-Tana Municipality or is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tana bru. Among the other villages in the municipality are Austertana, Bonakas, Polmak, Rustefjelbma, and Skiippagurra. T ...

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

Rustefjelbma Rustefjelbma ( sme, Ruostefielbmá) is a village in Deatnu-Tana Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located along the Tana River, about south of the mouth of the river at the Tanafjorden. The village of Bonakas li ...

. It is the main church for the Tana

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 Trom ...

. The unique, brown, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1964 using designs 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 ...

Esben Poulsson (1907-1974) to replace the old church that was burned down by the retreating German forces towards the end of

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 ...

. The church seats about 300 people. Tana kirke at Rustefjelbma

History

The first church in Tana was built around the year 1720. In 1851, the old church was torn down and replaced with a new church on the same site. In 1892, a new church was constructed on the same site. This new building was designed by the

Jacob Wilhelm Nordan Jacob Wilhelm Nordan (23 February 1824 – 11 April 1892) was a Danish-born, Norwegian architect. During his career, he was one of the most prolific church architects in Norway. Biography Nordan was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and came to Norw ...

. The church was destroyed by fire in 1944 by the retreating German army which burned most buildings in Finnmark. After the war, the church was rebuilt when funds were available. The new church was completed in 1964. The church was constructed of wood with a roof covered in tiles of quartz shale from nearby Alta. The

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...

was painted by the artist

Terje Grøstad Terje Grøstad (16 December 1925 – 10 July 2011) was a Norwegian painter. graphic artist and illustrator. Biography He was born in Drammen in Buskerud and lived in Flatdal in Telemark from the 1950s. He attended the Norwegian National Academy o ...

. One of the unique elements in the design of the church is the tall free-standing steeple alongside the church.

References

External links

Tana Church
(travel finnmark) {{use dmy dates, date=February 2021 Tana, Norway Churches in Finnmark Wooden churches in Norway 20th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1964 1720 establishments in Norway Long churches in Norway

History

See also

References

External links