The church in Skjervøy

The church in Skjervøy is the oldest preserved wooden church in Nord-Hålogaland. In earlier times, it was compulsory to visit this church and people had to travel there from the surrounding regions. This is how the church site became a central gathering point, also outside of the church services.

 

Skjervøy church is the oldest preserved wooden church in Nord-Hålogaland. It was in 1728 that Skjervøy church was completed for a congregation that would not only consist of Norwegian coastal residents, but also consist of the numerous Sami and Kven inland in Kvænangen, Nordreisa, Lyngen and Kåfjord. In older times, church attendance was compulsory, and absence from services was fined. People with long journeys from around the fjords and islands spent the night in small chapels on the beach below the church. In this way, the church site became a central gathering point.

A social meeting place

The gatherings have been an important social meeting place. Perhaps that is why the church on Skjervøy was chosen by the reindeer-herding Sami from Kautokeino in 1851, where they disturbed the church service? During a confirmation in 1852, a group of Sami Laestadians from Kautokeino was said to create unrest in the church, because they claimed that the priest did not use the correct teaching about God, and they demanded “a more intense confession and a more spartan way of life”. This led to arrests and a verdict in February 1852 where 22 defendants were convicted. All those convicted were also held financially responsible for the trial, which led to direct financial ruin for several. Many believe this was the prelude to the famous Kautekeino rebellion in Finnmark.