Skånland 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 ...

Tjeldsund Municipality or is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The southwestern part of the municipality is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Ofoten and the rest of the municipality is ...

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 in the village of

Evenskjer or is the administrative centre of Tjeldsund Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The village is located along the Tjeldsundet strait about south of the town of Harstad. European route E10 passes just to the north of the village of Evenskjer ...

. It is the church for the Skånland

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

Trondenes prosti Trondenes is a neighborhood and parish in the town of Harstad in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The area is located on the northern end of the town, on a peninsula in the Vågsfjorden. The village is notable for the Trondenes Fo ...

(

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 ...

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

style in 1901 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 ...

Carl J. Bergstrøm. The church seats about 400 people.

History

The first church built in Evenskjer was constructed in 1867 when it was still a part of the old

Trondenes Municipality Trondenes is a former municipality in Troms county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located along the western shore of the Vågsfjorden in what is now Harstad Municipality. Trondenes included th ...

. The municipality bought the old

Saltdal Church Saltdal Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Saltdal Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Rognan. It is one of the churches for the Saltdal parish which is part of the Salten prosti (deaner ...

, took it apart, moved it to

, and rebuilt it here to serve the people of the

Skånland Skånland may refer to: Places * Skånland Municipality, a municipality in Troms county, Norway * Evenskjer (sometimes referred to as ''Skånland''), a village in Tjeldsund Municipality in Troms county, Norway *Skånland Church, a church in Tjeldsu ...

portion of the municipality. The new 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 ( ...

in September 1867. The area grew in population quite rapidly and by 1896, the church was too small for the parish. It was decided to build a new church slightly south of the old church. After the new church was completed in 1901, there was talk about moving the old church to Tovik to use as a new

Tovik Church Tovik Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Tjeldsund Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located in the village of Tovik. It is the church for the Tovik parish which is part of the Trondenes prosti (deanery) in the Dioce ...

, however it was decided against this because of the poor condition of the old building. Instead, the old church was torn down and its materials were sold.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skaanland Church Tjeldsund Churches in Troms Wooden churches in Norway 20th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1901 1867 establishments in Norway Long churches in Norway

History

See also

References