Tromsdalen Church or the Arctic Cathedral () 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 ...

Tromsø Municipality Tromsø Municipality is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø. Other notable settlements in the municipality include the vi ...

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

Tromsdalen or is an urban neighborhood in the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø which is in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located just to the east of the city centre on the mainland along the coast of the Tromsøysundet strait. The v ...

valley on the east side of

Tromsø Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...

. It is the church for the Tromsøysund

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 Tromsø domprosti (arch-

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 modern concrete and metal 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 1965 using plans drawn up by

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 ...

Jan Inge Hovig Jan Inge Hovig (11 May 1920 – 4 July 1977) was a Norwegian architect. Hovig was born in Verran Municipality in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. He was the son of Johannes Sigurd Hovig (1895–1953) and Gudlaug Pauline Taugstad (1900–1969). Hov ...

. The church seats about 600 people.

Name

The official name ''Tromsdalen Church'', the church is commonly nicknamed the ''Ishavskatedralen'' which means "The Cathedral of the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five oceanic divisions. It spans an area of approximately and is the coldest of the world's oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, ...

," or simply the "Arctic Cathedral." Despite its nickname, it is a

and not, in fact, a

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

as it is commonly called.

Construction

The church was designed by

and is built mainly of

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

. The main contractor for the construction was Ing. F. Selmer A/S Tromsø. The church is one of the most notable churches in Tromsø due to its design. However, Tromsø does have other churches of interest, such as the Protestant

Tromsø Cathedral Tromsø Cathedral () is a cathedral of the Church of Norway located in the city of Tromsø in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The cathedral is the church for the ''Tromsø Domkirkens'' parish. It is the headquarters for the Troms ...

, which is noted for being the only wooden cathedral in Norway, and the Catholic

Cathedral of Our Lady, Tromsø The Cathedral of Our Lady (), also commonly known as the Church of Our Lady, is the Catholic cathedral of the city of Tromsø, Norway, and seat of the Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Tromsø, prelature of the same name. It is the northernm ...

. The groundbreaking of the church was on 1 April 1964, and it was completed in 1965. 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 19 November 1965 by Bishop

Monrad Norderval Monrad Oskar Norderval (1902–1976) was a Norwegian bishop in the Church of Norway. Norderval was born in Ålesund, Norway in 1902. He graduated with the cand.theol. degree in 1928 from the Royal Frederick University in Oslo. He began his mini ...

. The church is built out of cast-in-place aluminium-coated concrete panels. The shape of the church is believed to be a reference to the nearby twin-peaked island of Håja. In 1972, a glass mosaic titled "The Return of Christ" was added to the eastern side, made by

Victor Sparre Victor Sparre (né Smith; 4 November 1919 – 16 March 2008) was a Norwegian painter, glass designer and non-fiction writer. Personal life Sparre was born in Bærum as the son of librarian Victor Alf Smith and Eli Sparre. He was married to nurse ...

. The church acquired an organ built by Grönlunds Orgelbyggeri in 2005, with three manuals, pedals, 42 stops, and 2940 pipes. It replaced the old opus nr. 12 organ delivered by Vestlandske Orgelverksted, Hareid, which had 22 voices and 124 keys.

Gallery

Tromsdalen Church South.jpg, Southern façade Tromsdalen Church mosaic.jpg, Glass mosaic "the Return of Christ" Tromsø 2015.jpg, View from Tromsøya Tromsdalen Church organ.jpg, Church organ Ishavskatedralen 002.jpg, Night view of Southwest façade Tromsdalen Church.jpg, View from the

Tromsø Bridge The Tromsø Bridge () is a Cantilever bridge, cantilever road bridge in the Tromsø (city), city of Tromsø which is located in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It crosses the Tromsøysundet strait between Tromsdalen on the mainland a ...

Tromsdalen Church West.jpg, Western façade Håja Sommarøy.jpg, Håja island inspired shape of the church

References

External links

The Arctic Cathedral
{{use dmy dates, date=February 2021 Churches in Tromsø Churches in Troms 20th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1965 1965 establishments in Norway Culture of the Arctic Modernist architecture in Norway

Name

Construction

Gallery

See also

References

External links