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Old Værøy Church () is a historic
The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1589, but the church was not new that year. The first church on the island of Værøya was built in the village of Nordland, probably during the 1400s. Around the year 1599, the old church building was either heavily repaired or torn down and rebuilt. In 1750, the church was described as a low, wooden building with bracing beams on the north side to help strengthen the wall.
In 1790, strong winds heavily damaged the church during a storm. The church was torn down and plans for its replacement began immediately. Rather than building a new church on the site, it was decided to purchase the Vaagan Church (built in 1714) in the nearby village of
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 ...
in Værøy Municipality
Værøy is an island List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the villa ...
in Nordland
Nordland (; , , , ) is one of the three northernmost Counties of Norway, counties in Norway in the Northern Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Trøndelag in the south, Norrbotten County in Sweden to the east, Västerbotten County to t ...
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 Nordland
Nordland (; , , , ) is one of the three northernmost Counties of Norway, counties in Norway in the Northern Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Trøndelag in the south, Norrbotten County in Sweden to the east, Västerbotten County to t ...
on the northern side of the island of Værøya
Værøya or Værøy is an island in Værøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The island makes up about 89% of the land area of the whole municipality and it is home to 100% of the municipal residents.
Name
The Old Norse form of the isla ...
. It used to be the main church for the Værøy 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 Bodø domprosti (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 Sør-Hålogaland
Sør-Hålogaland is a diocese in the Church of Norway. The Diocese covers the Lutheran Church of Norway churches located within Nordland county in Norway. The diocese is headquartered in the Bodø (town), town of Bodø at Bodø Cathedral, the sea ...
. The red, 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 1714 (in another location) and it was moved to its present location in 1799. It is the oldest church in Lofoten
Lofoten ( , ; ; ) is an archipelago and a Districts of Norway, traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches, and untouched lands. T ...
that is still in use.
History
The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1589, but the church was not new that year. The first church on the island of Værøya was built in the village of Nordland, probably during the 1400s. Around the year 1599, the old church building was either heavily repaired or torn down and rebuilt. In 1750, the church was described as a low, wooden building with bracing beams on the north side to help strengthen the wall.
In 1790, strong winds heavily damaged the church during a storm. The church was torn down and plans for its replacement began immediately. Rather than building a new church on the site, it was decided to purchase the Vaagan Church (built in 1714) in the nearby village of Kabelvåg
, , or is a village in Vågan Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the southern shore of the island of Austvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago. Kabelvåg lies about to the southwest of the town of Svolvær, the administrat ...
(in what is now Vågan Municipality
Vågan () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the List of to ...
). This church was too small for the congregation, so they were planning to build a new church anyway. So in 1799, the church was disassembled and moved to Værøy where it was rebuilt. Some furniture from the old church still exists in today's church. The church was 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 ...
design with no tower.
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.
The church underwent extensive remodeling and renovations from 1828 until 1837. During the 1880s, a storm ravaged the church and it again needed rebuilding. During the rebuilding, the choir
A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
was extended by one-third and the sacristy
A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.
The sacristy is us ...
was also enlarged. Major repair work was also undertaken in 1919. In 1939, rather than replacing the aging church, it was decided to build a new Værøy Church
Værøy Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Værøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Sørland on the south side of the island of Værøya. It is the church for the Værøy parish which is ...
in the village of Sørland
Sørland is a seaside resort, fishing village, and the administrative centre of Værøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the southern side of the island of Værøya. The village is the main population center of the isla ...
on the south side of the island, where most residents lived. The new church became the main church for the parish, and the old church was renamed "Old Værøy Church". The old church is still used for worship services about once each month.
See also
*List of churches in Sør-Hålogaland
This list of churches in Sør-Hålogaland is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland in Norway. It includes all of the parishes in Nordland county. The diocese is based at the Bodø Cathedral in the city of Bodø ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Old Vaeroy Church Værøy Churches in Nordland Wooden churches in Norway 18th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1799 15th-century establishments in Norway Norwegian election churches Long churches in Norway