Bjarkøy Church

Bjarkøy Church (Norwegian: Bjarkøy kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Harstad Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Nergården on the island of Bjarkøya. It is one of the churches for the Bjarkøy og Sandsøy parish which is part of the Trondenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland. The white, wooden church was built in a cruciform style in 1766 by an unknown architect. The church seats about 350 people.[1][2]

Bjarkøy Church
Bjarkøy kirke
View of the church
Bjarkøy Church Location of the church Show map of Troms og Finnmark Bjarkøy Church Bjarkøy Church (Norway) Show map of Norway
Location	Harstad, Troms og Finnmark
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Events	Moved from Sandsøya to Bjarkøya in 1886
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Unknown
Architectural type	Cruciform
Completed	1766
Specifications
Capacity	350
Materials	Wood
Administration
Parish	Bjarkøy og Sandsøy
Deanery	Trondenes prosti
Diocese	Nord-Hålogaland

History

View of the church

The first church on Bjarkøya was likely built in the 1200s. It was named in existing historical records in 1309 and again in the late 1300s as an existing church. The location of the church is unknown, but the leading theory is that it was in Øvergård, a short distance southwest of the present church building. Tradition states that the church stood until some time in the 1800s. In the 1880s, it was decided to close the nearby Sandsøy Church and move that building to Bjarkøya. The wooden Sandsøy Church was originally built in 1766 on the island of Sandsøya. In 1885-1886, that church was disassembled and moved to the Nergården area on the island of Bjarkøya. It became known as Bjarkøy Church after it was moved. That church still stands.[3][4][5]

See also

• List of churches in Troms

References

1. "Bjarkøy kirke". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
3. "Bjarkøy kirke". VisitNorway.com. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
4. "Bjarkøy kirkested-Bjarkøy kirke 2" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
5. "Bjarkøy kirkestedstradisjon - Øvergård" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2018-07-28.