Skåre 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 in Haugesund 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, Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. As of 1 January 2024, it had a population of 49 ...

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 town of Haugesund. It is one of the two churches for the Skåre

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 Haugaland 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 Stavanger. The white, wooden church was built in a octagonal style in 1858 using designs 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 ...

Christian Heinrich Grosch. The church seats about 450 people.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to the year 1301, but the church was not new that year. Historically, the old church was known as ''Haugo Church''. The first church here was a stave church that was actually located across the street from its present location. On 15 May 1301, Bishop Arne of the Ancient Diocese of Stavanger wrote that he was on a visit to Karmøy and Skåre. According to the historian,

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...

, King Harald Hårfagre was buried on Haugo (the old name for this area). The old stave church was repaired in 1620. In 1639, the church was torn down and a new church was built on the same site. In 1854, the town of Haugesund was established and it was separated from the rest of Torvastad municipality to form a municipality of its own. The only local church close to the town was Skåre Church which was a small building, so a new main church was needed for the area. It was decided to build a new, larger Skåre Church, just outside the town of Haugesund to serve that part of Torvastad as well as the town of Haugesund. The two municipalities (Torvastad and Haugesund) split the cost with Haugesund paying 6,619 Norwegian speciedaler and Torvastad paid 5,679 Norwegian speciedaler for a grand total of 12,299 Norwegian speciedaler and 23 skilling. The new church was built across the street from the small Skåre Church and after it was completed in 1859, the old church was torn down. The new 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 7 July 1858 and it served the town of Haugesund as well as the Skåre parish of Torvastad. It was not until 1901, when the town of Haugesund received its own church, Vår Frelsers Church.

Gallery

Skåre kirke 1858 Church haugesund Norway 2020-06-06 DSC09030.jpg Skåre gml kirkegård.jpg, View of the site of the old church

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skaare Church Haugesund Churches in Rogaland Wooden churches in Norway Octagonal churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1858 12th-century establishments in Norway

History

Gallery

See also

References