Sjernarøyane is an
island group in
Stavanger
Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...
municipality in
Rogaland
Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 47 ...
county,
Norway. The islands are located in the
Nedstrandsfjorden, west of the large island of
Ombo
Ombo is an island in the municipality of Stavanger in Rogaland county, Norway. The island is the largest island in the Ryfylke region and the second largest island in Rogaland county. There are several villages on the island including Jørstadvå ...
and north of the large island of
Finnøy. As of 2014, the islands were home to 365 residents. The islands were historically part of the municipality of
Sjernarøy
Sjernarøy is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The island municipality existed from 1868 until its dissolution in 1965. The municipality was located in the Boknafjorden in the present-day municipality of Stavanger. The administr ...
before merging into the municipality of
Finnøy in 1965. Then in 2020, the islands were transferred to Stavanger municipality.
The
Aubøsund
Aubøsund or Audbøsund is a small strait between the islands of Aubø and Bjergøy in the Sjernarøyane archipelago in the northeastern part of the large Stavanger Municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The strait was the site of an old trading ...
strait, which runs between the islands of Aubø and Bjergøy was a historically important trading post.
The name comes from
Old Norse word ''"Sjǫrn"'' which means the number seven, since historically the archipelago had seven inhabited islands. Today the Sjernarøyane islands refer to the group of many small and larger islands. The inhabited islands today include Kyrkjøy, Bjergøy, Eriksholmen, Tjul, Nord-Hidle, Aubø, Helgøy, and Nord-Talgje. The uninhabited islands include Hestholmen, Finnborg, Lundarøynå, Norheimsøynå, Norheimslamholmen, Staup, Fiskholmane, as well as many other smaller islands.
Sjernarøy Church
Sjernarøy Church ( no, Sjernarøy kyrkje) is a parish church of the Chu