Kirkenes Church
History
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In 1857, it was decided that a church should be built on the southern side of the Varangerfjorden. After some discussion about the exact location to build on, planners settled on a site on the Piselvnes peninsula (Pis River headland) at the mouth of the Pasvikelva river where it meets the Bøkfjorden. The parish was named Sydvaranger (meaning South-Varanger), and after the church was built its site was renamed Kirkenes (church headland), from which the present-day town received its name.
The first church building was completed in 1862. It stood almost until the end of World War II, when in 1944 it was subjected to heavy bombing and burned to the ground. The old church spire survived, though, and was incorporated into its replacement.
Rebuilding took fifteen years. The architectural drawings by Sofus Hougen followed a traditional long church design, in the form of a basilica, divided longitudinally into three sections by columns and rows, with a raised central peak and tower raised over the choir. As was common to two-thirds of post-war church construction in Norway, reinforced concrete bricks were used as a principal material, along with wood fashioned by modern milling techniques. Interior decoration and furnishings reflect a traditional strongly sacred character. The present church building was finally completed in 1959.
Media gallery
See also
References
- ^ "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
- ^ "Kirkenes kirke" (in Norwegian). Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ^ "Kirker i Sør-Varanger sogn" (in Norwegian). Vadsø prosti. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
External links
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