Location Hasvik, Finnmark Denomination Church of Norway Functional status Active Address 9593 Breivikbotn, Norway Capacity 120 Architect Jacob Wilhelm Nordan | Country Norway Churchmanship Evangelical Completed 1888 Opened 1888 Status Parish church | |
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Diocese Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland Similar Hasvik Church, Sørvær Chapel, Nuvsvåg Chapel, Langfjord Church, Komagfjord Church | ||
Dønnesfjord Church (Norwegian: Dønnesfjord kirke) is a parish church in the municipality of Hasvik in Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Dønnesfjord. The church is part of the Loppa parish in the Alta deanery in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland. The white, wooden church seats about 120 people. The church has not been in regular use since 2003.
History
In December 1885, a royal decree gave permission to build a church in the fishing village of Galten, on the shores of the Galtenfjorden to serve all the fisherman and whalers living on this part of the island of Sørøya. The architect Jacob Wilhelm Nordan was the designer of the building that was completed in 1888. In 1944, when the German occupation of Norway was ending and the German army was burning all the villages in Norway, the entire village of Galten was burned. This church, however, survived because the fire in this church went out shortly after it was set.
After World War II, it was decided to not rebuild the village of Galten since it was in a very isolated location, only accessible by boat. The church was then moved to the nearby village of Dønnesfjord, across the fjord. The rebuilt church was reopened in 1952. Over time, the village of Dønnesfjord depopulated to the point where no one lived there anymore and in 2003, the church was closed and regular services were no longer held there. Since then one service is held each summer in addition to special occasions such as weddings.