Kåfjord Church () is a

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 ...

Alta Municipality Alta (; ; ; ) is the most populated List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Finnmark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Alta (town), town of Alta. Some of the main villages in the ...

Finnmark Finnmark (; ; ; ; ) is a counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. By land, it borders Troms county to the west, Finland's Lapland (Finland), Lapland region to the south, and Russia's Murmansk Oblast to the east, and by water, the Norweg ...

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 in the village of Kåfjord. It is an annex church for the Alta

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 Alta prosti (

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 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 in 1837 using plans drawn up by an unknown

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 ...

, making it the oldest surviving church building in Alta. The church seats about 300 people.

History

left, View of the church from a distance The local Kåfjord copperworks, which was established in Kåfjord in 1826, grew to become the largest industrial company at the time north of the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...

. The church was built in 1837 to serve the growing community. The architect is unknown, but the church has many similarities to the standardized church drawings by the national architect

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 ...

, so it could have been based on those. Other sources say that it may have been Stephen Henry Thomas. The building 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 10 September 1837 by the Bishop

Peder Kjerschow Peder Kjerschow (5 June 1857 – 10 December 1944) was a Norwegian judge. He was born in Tromsøe, as a son of Christian Collett Kjerschow and grandson of Peder Christian Hersleb Kjerschow. Through marriage he was a nephew of Jacob Andreas Michels ...

. During the 1930s, the church was renovated and restored. In 1967, there was a fire in the chimney for the wood stove in the church, so the church was temporarily closed. An extensive renovation and repair work was carried out from 1968-1970. As part of this restoration, the church received a new organ in 1970.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaafjord Church (Finnmark) Alta, Norway Churches in Finnmark Wooden churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1837 1837 establishments in Norway Long churches in Norway

History

See also

References