Øksnes Church

Øksnes Church (Norwegian: Øksnes kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Øksnes Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the southeastern tip of the island of Skogsøya. It is one of the churches for the Øksnes parish which is part of the Vesterålen prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland. The white, wooden church was built in a cruciform style in 1703 by an unknown architect. The church seats about 450 people.[1][2]

Øksnes Church
Øksnes kirke
View of the church
Øksnes Church
Location of the church
Øksnes Church
Øksnes Church (Norway)
68.8773°N 14.9726°E / 68.8773; 14.9726
LocationØksnes, Nordland
CountryNorway
DenominationChurch of Norway
ChurchmanshipEvangelical Lutheran
History
StatusParish church
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architectural typeCruciform
Completed1703
Specifications
Capacity450
MaterialsWood
Administration
ParishØksnes
DeaneryVesterålen prosti
DioceseSør-Hålogaland

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to 1381. Not much is known about the medieval church or the buildings on the site over the centuries. The present church was possibly built in 1703. In 1716, it underwent some repair work and then again in 1754-1755 there was another renovation. By 1788, the church was in "fragile" condition so a massive renovation was planned. In 1794-1795, the church was totally renovated. The building was virtually rebuilt from the foundation up, reusing all of the materials that were still in good condition. In 1864, the roof of the church was taken off and rebuilt. It is quite possible that parts of the present-day church still include materials that were present in the church several hundred years ago.[3]

The altarpiece is a replica of a painting made by Gottfried Ezekiel (ca. 1719-1798) in 1759. The original is in the Bergen Museum. A native of Königsberg, Gottfried Ezekiel received a commission as a painter in Bergen during 1744. In 1751, he arrived in northern Norway, where he painted a number of church altarpieces.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Øksnes kirke". Kirkesøk: Kirkebyggdatabasen. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  2. "Oversikt over Nåværende Kirker" (in Norwegian). KirkeKonsulenten.no. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  3. "Øksnes kirkested" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  4. Sigrid Christie. "Gottfried Ezekiel". Norsk kunstnerleksikon. Retrieved 2017-10-01.
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