The Norwegian Anglican Church, sometimes known as the Whalers Church, and as the Norwegian Lutheran Church (until 2013), and casually as the Grytviken Church, is a church in

Grytviken Grytviken ( ) is a settlement on South Georgia in the South Atlantic and formerly a whaling station and the largest settlement on the island. It is located at the head of King Edward Cove within the larger Cumberland East Bay, considered the b ...

, South Georgia, built in 1913. The church was part 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 ...

for a century from 1913 to 2013. It was formally handed over to the Church of England (national church of England) in 2013, and is now part of the Anglican Communion's

Diocese of the Falkland Islands The Parish of the Falkland Islands is an extra-provincial church in the Anglican Communion. In 1869, the "Diocese of the Falkland Isles" with jurisdiction over the rest of South America except for British Guiana was established.Milmine, Obispo Do ...

History and architecture

The Neo-Gothic church was pre-built in Norway and erected in Grytviken by whalers led by Carl Anton Larsen around 1912–1913. The church consists of a single nave leading to a small altar. A small library is attached to the side near the altar. Inside, worshippers (and now visitors) are seated on long wood benches. The floor's dark wood planks contrast with the white walls and ceiling. The church, one of the world's southernmost churches, was consecrated on Christmas Day in 1913. In 1922, a funeral service for

Sir Ernest Shackleton Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of An ...

was conducted in the church before his burial amongst 64 others in the church cemetery. The cemetery, located approximately to the south on the other end of Grytviken Harbour, also holds empty graves for lost whalers at sea.

Pastor

The church was led by Kristen Løken, from 1913 to 1914. Løken was born in 1885 in

Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the municip ...

in Norway. He was made Pastor of South Georgia, and arrived in 1912 to take up his post. He was responsible for supervising the building of the church building, and left his church in 1914, and was the only pastor for this church. He died in 1975.

Grytviken Cemetery

The Grytviken Cemetery, associated with the church, is located about away to the south. It predates the church, first accepting whalers' graves before 1902. It holds 64 graves, including nine victims of a 1912 typhoid epidemic,

(1874–1922), the ashes of fellow polar explorer Frank Wild (1873–1939) which were interred in 2011, and Félix Artuso, an Argentinian submarine officer who was killed in the 1982 British recapture of South Georgia from Argentina.Marine killed Argentinian in Falklands war blunder
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Restoration and maintenance

Whalers' Church at Grytviken, South Georgia

In April 1982, during the invasion of South Georgia by Argentinian military forces, members of a

British Antarctic Survey The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is the United Kingdom's national polar research institute. It has a dual purpose, to conduct polar science, enabling better understanding of global issues, and to provide an active presence in the Antarctic on ...

team were invited by some

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

to take shelter in the church. After years of abandonment and weathering the harsh elements of the region (the roof was damaged in 1994), the church was renovated by the keepers of South Georgia Museum and volunteers in 1996–1998, and now serves for occasional church services and marriage ceremonies.

In popular culture

The church had a cameo appearance in the 2006 animated film '' Happy Feet''.

References

External links

Grytviken Cemetery
* {{Coord, 54, 16, 48, S, 36, 30, 37, W, display=title, type:landmark_region:GS 20th-century Church of Norway church buildings 20th-century Church of England church buildings Buildings and structures in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Churches in Antarctica Churches completed in 1913 Norwegian diaspora 1913 establishments in the British Empire 1913 establishments in Antarctica