Sagfjord Church

Sagfjord Church (Norwegian: Sagfjord kirke or Northern Sami: Rivtakvuona girkko^[1]) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Hamarøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Karlsøy on the island of Finnøya. It is one of the churches for the Sagfjord parish which is part of the Ofoten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland. The white, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1886 using plans drawn up by the architect S. Mathisen. The church seats about 130 people.^[2][3][4]

Sagfjord Church
Sagfjord kirke Rivtakvuona girkko
View of the church
68.0000480°N 15.7682012°E / 68.0000480; 15.7682012
Location	Hamarøy Municipality, Nordland
Country	Norway
Denomination	Church of Norway
Churchmanship	Evangelical Lutheran
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	Middle Ages
Consecrated	1886
Events	Moved from Presteid to Karlsøy in 1885
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	S. Mathisen
Architectural type	Long church
Completed	1775 (249 years ago) (1775)
Specifications
Capacity	130
Materials	Wood
Administration
Diocese	Sør-Hålogaland
Deanery	Ofoten prosti
Parish	Sagfjord
Norwegian Cultural Heritage Site
Type	Church
Status	Listed
ID	85355

History

The first church on this site was built during the Middle Ages. Not much is known about that building. At some point the church was closed and torn down.^[5] 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.^[6][7]

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, choir, and sacristy. 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.^[8]

Media gallery

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See also

• List of churches in Sør-Hålogaland

References

1. "Godkjenning av navn på kirker i Hábmera suohkan - Hamarøykommune" (PDF). Sør-Hålogaland bispedømmeråd (in Norwegian). 22 January 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
2. "Sagfjord kirke". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
3. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
4. Askheim, Svein; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (20 June 2016). "Sagfjord kirke". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
5. "Sagfjord kirkested" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
6. "Våre kirker" (in Norwegian). Hamarøy menighet. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
7. "Hamarøy kirkested" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
8. "Sagfjord Church". Arkitekturguide.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 17 March 2021.