Talvik 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 ...

Alta Municipality Alta (; ; ; ) is the most populated List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Finnmark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Alta (town), town of Alta. Some of the main villages in the ...

Finnmark Finnmark (; ; ; ; ) is a counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. By land, it borders Troms county to the west, Finland's Lapland (Finland), Lapland region to the south, and Russia's Murmansk Oblast to the east, and by water, the Norweg ...

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 Talvik, along the

Altafjorden The Altafjord (; ; ) is a fjord in Alta Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The long fjord stretches from the town of Alta in the south to the islands of Stjernøya and Seiland. The long river Altaelva empties into the fjord at the tow ...

and the

European route E06 European route E6 (, , or simply E6) is the main north–south thoroughfare through Norway as well as the west coast of Sweden. It is long and runs from the southern tip of Sweden at Trelleborg, into Norway and through almost all of the countr ...

highway. It is main church for the Talvik

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 Alta 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 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 ...

style in 1883 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 ...

Jacob Wilhelm Nordan Jacob Wilhelm Nordan (23 February 1824 – 11 April 1892) was a Danish-born, Norwegian architect. During his career, he was one of the most prolific church architects in Norway. Biography Nordan was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and came to Nor ...

. The church seats about 300 people.

History

The first church in the

was built around the year 1691. The church was on the island of

Årøya or is an island in Alta Municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The island is located in the Altafjorden, about north of the town of Alta. The island is only accessible by boat. There is a regular ferry connection between the village of K ...

, in the middle of the fjord. The decision of the placement was that there was the old

Altenhus Fortress Altenhus Fortress (; also Kongshus Fortress) was a fortification built on the island of Årøya in Finnmark county in Norway in 1610. The area is part of the present-day Alta Municipality. Altenhus Fortress was intended to prevent Swedish incurs ...

on the island. The materials of the fortress were used to build the church. The fort was built during the

Kalmar War The Kalmar War (1611–1613) was fought between Denmark–Norway and Sweden. Though Denmark-Norway soon gained the upper hand, it was unable to defeat Sweden entirely. The Kalmar War was the last time Denmark-Norway successfully defended its '' ...

and was a blockhouse with earthwork surrounding built to stop the Swedish advance in Finnmark. This blockhouse was given to the church and in 1694 the church was ready for use. It was also the first cemetery along the Altafjorden. The Årøya Church was barely in use for about 10 years and already in 1703 the people were expressing a desire to move the church to the village of Talvik on the mainland, and the following year the county governor approved the move. Årøya Church was demolished and transported across the fjord to Talvik. In 1705, the church was ready for use in Talvik. This church was made into a

cruciform A cruciform is a physical manifestation resembling a common cross or Christian cross. These include architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described as having a cruciform ...

church, so it was somewhat larger than the one that was on Årøya. Poor maintenance after the move meant that by 1734, the church already was in such poor condition that it is unable to be repaired. That building was demolished and a new church was completed in 1737. This church had 220 seats and room for 80 people to stand. In 1814, this church served as an

election church An election church () is a term used for approximately 300 churches in Norway that were used as polling stations during the elections to the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll in 1814. This was Norway's first national elections and this ass ...

(). Together with more than 300 other parish churches across Norway, it was a polling station for elections to the 1814

Norwegian Constituent Assembly The Norwegian Constituent Assembly ( or ) is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised the dissolution of the union with Denmark. The meetings took place at the Eidsvoll Manor in th ...

which wrote the

Constitution of Norway The 'Constitution of Norway'' (complete name: The Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway; Danish language, Danish: ; Norwegian language, Norwegian Bokmål: ; Nynorsk, Norwegian Nynorsk: ) was adopted on 16 May and signed on 17 May 1814 by the N ...

. This was Norway's first national elections. Each

church parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

was a constituency that elected people called "electors" who later met together in each county to elect the representatives for the assembly that was to meet in

Eidsvoll Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike Districts of Norway, traditional region. The administrative centre of the munic ...

later that year. The 1737 church served Talvik for 147 years. On the night of 16 January 1882, there arose a violent storm and the whole church was torn loose and lifted from the foundation. The church bell and some of the interior furnishings were saved, but the structure could not be. It had to be demolished and a new church was constructed on the same site shortly thereafter. On 17 October 1883, the new (present) 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. This church was designed by

and it has 410 seats and it cost at that time. The church was somewhat damaged after the German explosions when the retreating German army was leaving the village. The damage was mostly broken windows and roof tiles. The church was the only building left standing in Talvik after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Media gallery

Alta, Norway - panoramio (5).jpg, Talvik church 2.jpg, Talvik church 3.jpg, Talvik church 5.jpg,

References

{{use dmy dates, date=February 2021 Alta, Norway Churches in Finnmark Wooden churches in Norway 19th-century Church of Norway church buildings Churches completed in 1883 1691 establishments in Norway Norwegian election churches Long churches in Norway

History

Media gallery

See also

References