Karlsøy Church () is a historic

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

of the

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

Karlsøy Municipality Karlsøy () is an island List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hansnes. Other villages include Dåfjord, Hessfjord, Karlsøya ( ...

Troms Troms (; ; ; ) is a Counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. It borders Finnmark county to the northeast and Nordland county in the southwest. Norrbotten Län in Sweden is located to the south and further southeast is a shorter border with ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is located on the island of Karlsøya. It is the former main church for the Karlsøy

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

which is part of the

Tromsø domprosti Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...

(arch-

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the 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 residence of ...

) in the

Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland Nord-Hålogaland () is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers the Church of Norway churches in Troms and Finnmark counties as well as in the territory of Svalbard. The diocese is seated in the city of Tromsø at the Tromsø Cathedral, t ...

. The church is no longer in regular use, since it is on a remote island that is now sparsely populated. The church holds special services occasionally, including one summer service each year. The white, wooden church was built in a

long church Church building in Norway began when Christianity in Norway, 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 inst ...

style 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 ...

Hans Linstow Hans Ditlev Franciscus (Frants) von Linstow (4 May 1787 – 10 June 1851) was a Danish/ Norwegian architect who designed the Royal Palace in Oslo and much of the surrounding park and the street '' Karl Johans gate''. Background Hans Ditlev Fr ...

. The church seats about 570 people.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church on Karlsøya date back to the year 1419, but the church was likely built in the late 13th century. A new

was built in 1620. In 1732 the church was repaired and in 1770 an addition was built to make room for more people. In 1790, the church was converted to a

cruciform A cruciform is a physical manifestation resembling a common cross or Christian cross. These include architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described as having a cruciform ...

design by adding two side wings. In 1814, this church served as an

election church An election church () is a term used for approximately 300 churches in Norway that were used as polling stations during the elections to the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll in 1814. This was Norway's first national elections and this ass ...

(). Together with more than 300 other parish churches across Norway, it was a polling station for elections to the 1814

Norwegian Constituent Assembly The Norwegian Constituent Assembly ( or ) is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised the dissolution of the union with Denmark. The meetings took place at the Eidsvoll Manor in th ...

which wrote the

Constitution of Norway The 'Constitution of Norway'' (complete name: The Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway; Danish language, Danish: ; Norwegian language, Norwegian Bokmål: ; Nynorsk, Norwegian Nynorsk: ) was adopted on 16 May and signed on 17 May 1814 by the N ...

. This was Norway's first national elections. Each

church 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 ...

was a constituency that elected people called "electors" who later met together in each county to elect the representatives for the assembly that was to meet at

Eidsvoll Manor Eidsvollsbygningen (Literally: ''The Eidsvoll building'') is a historic manor house located at Eidsvoll in Akershus county, Norway. The building is where the Constitution of Norway was signed on 17 May 1814. The estate is now owned by The State o ...

later that year. Over time, the church needed repairs. In 1824, part of the church floor was replaced. In 1834, more of the floor and some windows were replaced. By the mid-1800s, however, the church required replacement. In 1854, it was torn down and the present church was built. The church was

consecrate Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

d on 20 October 1854. The new church had a long church design, but it was much larger than the previous building. In 1906, an organ was installed in the building. Over time, particularly in the late-20th century, the island of Karlsøya began to depopulate. The island had been the civil and religious centre of Karlsøy for centuries, but more people were moving to other parts of the municipality that were connected to the road network and Karlsøya became more isolated. By the 1960s, the administrative centre was moved to

Hansnes Hansnes is the administrative centre of Karlsøy Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The village is located on the northeast side of the island of Ringvassøya, along the Langsundet strait. By car, it is about northeast of the city of Tromsø ...

on the large island of

Ringvassøya or is a large island in Troms county, Norway. It is divided between Tromsø Municipality and Karlsøy Municipality. Several islands surround Ringvassøya including Kvaløya to the south; Reinøya and Karlsøya to the east; Vannøya, Helgøy ...

, and at the same time, planning for a new church in Hansnes began.

Ringvassøy Church Ringvassøy Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Karlsøy Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located in the village of Hansnes on the island of Ringvassøya. It is the main church for the Karlsøy parish which is par ...

was completed in 1977 and on 4 July 1978, Karlsøy Church held its last regularly-scheduled worship service. The church is still occasionally used, but only for special occasions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karlsoy Church Karlsøy Churches in Troms Wooden churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1854 13th-century establishments in Norway Norwegian election churches Long churches in Norway

History

See also

References