Evenes Church


Evenes Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Evenes Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Evenes, along the northern shore of the Ofotfjorden. It is the church for the Evenes parish which is part of the Ofoten prosti in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland. The white, wooden church was built in a cruciform style in 1800 by the architect Johan Bernhard Kreutzer. The church seats about 460 people.

History

The earliest existing historical records of the church date back to 1589, but the historical Saga of Haakon Haakonarson says that King Haakon IV of Norway built a church in Evenes around the year 1250. An old story about the church states that the King had one of his ships drop a log into the Ofotfjorden and where the log landed on the shore was where the church would be built. The log washed ashore at Eivindnæs so that is where the church was constructed.
Not much is known about the medieval buildings that housed the church in Evenes, but in 1652 it was described as a tall timber-framed church with a tower and an extended choir. In 1676, the church was described as being dilapidated. Records from 1750 show that the church had a graveyard that was surrounded by a fence made out of peat.
In 1800, a new church was built to replace the old church. This building was designed in a Danish manor style with a Mansard roof. The new church wasn't fully complete until 1806. The old church was torn down and its materials sold in 1806.