In 1944 every building in the fishing village Kjøllefjord was burnt down, the church included. Today's church was consecrated in 1951 and was the first to be completed as part of the post war reconstruction effort in Finnmark. Situated in the upper part of the village the tall white building makes a good landmark for seafarers. Built in local stone with white lime wash, the long nave with narrow isles, the chancel and the sacristy are made up of three stepped pitch roofed volumes in a row. Abiding by Norwegian tradition the main entrance is to the west and chancel to the east. On the roof above the entrance sits a square turret with a tall pyramid shaped spire. The new church seats 300 worshippers while the old one could only receive 80. As in many other churches along the coast the number of visitors varied according to the season. Spring would be the busiest time here in Kjøllefjord with many visiting fishermen. Hence the architect designed the parish hall attached to the church in such a way that when the connecting sliding doors were opened, it expanded the seating capacity with another 100 seats. The parish hall was however not added until 1979.

The new church in Kjøllefjord was funded by donations from Denmark. It was fully financed by 1946, gained planning permission in 1949 and was ready for consecration in 1951.

1949-1951

Finn Bryn arkitekt MNAL

Church

Local stone

wood

Dancke, Trond M.E.: Opp av ruinene, Gjenreisinga av Finnmark 1945-1960. Oslo 1986.

Kjøllefjord menighetsråd: Kjøllefjord kirke 1738-1976, Kjøllefjord 1977.