"Honningsvåg kirke" (2 of 3)
Description
By 1885, the church had been completed. It was a long church built of wood, with seating for 255 people. The municipal council had wanted a larger church, with seating for at least 400, on the basis that the fishing stations of Honningsvåg, Nordvågen and Kjelvik were visited each spring and summer by approx. 800 fishermen from elsewhere.
The architect for the church was Jacob Wilhelm Nordan (1824-1892) from Christiania. He was an adviser to the Department for Church Affairs and ran his own architect’s office. He designed approx. 100 churches, including Talvik Church in Alta and King Oscar II’s Chapel in Grense Jakobselv, as well as the churches in Lavangen and Øverbygd in Troms.
The work on Honningsvåg Church was begun in the spring of 1885 by the builder D. G. Evjen from Tromsø. At that time Evjen had built Talvik Church, amongst others, and would go on to build a series of churches in Finnmark. Honningsvåg Church was completed with funds from Det Nordlandske Kirke- og Skolefond (Nordland Church and Schools Fund) and the whole project cost approx. kr. 15 000.
The churchyard at the church was consecrated in 1910. In 1930 it was enlarged by 1 500 square metres, using an area where fish drying racks had previously stood. In 1932, a new mortuary was established on the upper side of the church. This was designed and built by builder Nils Alterskjær from Honningsvåg. Both the church and the mortuary survived the burning of Honningsvåg when the German occupying powers retreated in 1944 – the only buildings on Magerøya to do so. The first people to return to Honningsvåg after the evacuation used the church as somewhere to live and eat, and as a bakery.
The architect for the church was Jacob Wilhelm Nordan (1824-1892) from Christiania. He was an adviser to the Department for Church Affairs and ran his own architect’s office. He designed approx. 100 churches, including Talvik Church in Alta and King Oscar II’s Chapel in Grense Jakobselv, as well as the churches in Lavangen and Øverbygd in Troms.
The work on Honningsvåg Church was begun in the spring of 1885 by the builder D. G. Evjen from Tromsø. At that time Evjen had built Talvik Church, amongst others, and would go on to build a series of churches in Finnmark. Honningsvåg Church was completed with funds from Det Nordlandske Kirke- og Skolefond (Nordland Church and Schools Fund) and the whole project cost approx. kr. 15 000.
The churchyard at the church was consecrated in 1910. In 1930 it was enlarged by 1 500 square metres, using an area where fish drying racks had previously stood. In 1932, a new mortuary was established on the upper side of the church. This was designed and built by builder Nils Alterskjær from Honningsvåg. Both the church and the mortuary survived the burning of Honningsvåg when the German occupying powers retreated in 1944 – the only buildings on Magerøya to do so. The first people to return to Honningsvåg after the evacuation used the church as somewhere to live and eat, and as a bakery.
