Sagfjord Church ( or ) 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 ...

Hamarøy Municipality or is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Oppeid ...

Nordland Nordland (; , , , ) is one of the three northernmost Counties of Norway, counties in Norway in the Northern Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Trøndelag in the south, Norrbotten County in Sweden to the east, Västerbotten County to t ...

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 Karlsøy on the island of Finnøya. It is one of the churches for the Sagfjord

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 Ofoten 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 Sør-Hålogaland Sør-Hålogaland is a diocese in the Church of Norway. The Diocese covers the Lutheran Church of Norway churches located within Nordland county in Norway. The diocese is headquartered in the Bodø (town), town of Bodø at Bodø Cathedral, the sea ...

. 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 ...

style in 1886 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 ...

S. Mathisen. The church seats about 130 people.

History

The first church on this site was built during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. Not much is known about that building. At some point the church was closed and torn down. In 1885, it was decided to move the old Hamarøy Church from Presteid to the village of Karlsøy on the nearby island of Finnøya. After the move it would be known as the Sagfjord Church. The old church was originally built in 1775 (in Presteid as Hamarøy Church) and in 1840 the church was renovated and repaired. In 1886, the materials were moved to Karlsøy and rebuilt as the new Sagfjord Church (on the same site as the medieval church that once served this area). The new church is made up of four sections in a row: tower,

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

, and

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

. The main entrance is on top of a steep flight of outside steps at the foot of the tower. Under the tower is an entry porch that also includes stairs up to the 2nd floor seating in a balcony as well as to the clock tower. A set of double doors separates the entry area from the rectangular nave. Beyond the nave is a small, square-shaped choir. Behind the altar panel, is a hidden door which leads to the sacristy which is a smaller square shaped room.

Media gallery

Kirkested Sagfjord.JPG Sagfjord kirke (Hamarøy) 01.jpg Sagfjord kirke (Hamarøy) 02.jpg

References

{{use dmy dates, date=March 2021 Hamarøy Churches in Nordland Wooden churches in Norway 18th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1775 1886 establishments in Norway Long churches in Norway

History

Media gallery

See also

References