Faroese People's Church

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Kirkjubøur , in German "Kirchenfeld", is one of the most historically important places in the Faroe Islands . The St. Olav's Church (bottom left) dates from the 13th century. Together with the other architectural monuments there, it was proposed for inclusion in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites . Until the Reformation in the Faroe Islands in 1538, this was the seat of the Faroe Diocese.

The Faroese People's Church ( Fólkakirkjan in Faroese ) is one of the smallest state churches in the world after it was taken over by the Faroese state on July 29 (National Day Ólavsøka ) on the basis of the Takeover Act of 2005 . Before that, the Faroe Islands formed a diocese of the Danish national church .

The Volkskirche is an Evangelical Lutheran church to which about 85% of the Faroese belong; it has around 40,000 members. In 2003 there were 170 weddings in the Volkskirche, which corresponds to 74% of all weddings in the Faroe Islands. Religion plays a relatively important and natural role in everyday life in Faroese society.

According to the Lutheran view, the ordination of pastors ( prestur , pl. Prestar ) is by the majority not regarded as a sacrament . According to the status of a state church, pastors are civil servants. Bishop Jógvan Fríðriksson has been the theological and spiritual head of the Faroese national church since 2007 .

One of the most characteristic periods of Faroese architecture is the construction of the Faroese wooden churches from 1829 to 1847.

Church history of the Faroe Islands

Christianization from the year 999 by Sigmundur Brestisson : The Viking chief Tróndur í Gøtu defends himself against it with Thor's hammer Mjölnir . In the Faroese saga , Tróndur appears in the role of the villain ; in a different perspective, he tried to protect the Faroe Islands as a free settler republic from the Norwegian crown. Faroe Islands postage stamp (2000), draft by Anker Eli Petersen .

After the Christianization of the Faroe Islands from 999 by Sigmundur Brestisson and the final enforcement of the Catholic Church by Leivur Øssurson around 1035 , the Diocese of Faroe Islands with its seat in Kirkjubøur was established around 1100 . At first it belonged to the Archdiocese of Hamburg-Bremen , from 1104 to Lund , and in 1152/ 53 to Nidaros (Trondheim). The most famous bishop in the history of the Faroe Islands was to be Erlendur , who had Magnus Cathedral built in Kirkjubøur around 1300 , which is still the country's most important monument today. Magnus Cathedral was probably never completed, and the St. Olav Church (around 1250) served as the bishop's seat instead . The famous Kirkjubøur church stalls , which are now the largest art treasure in the Faroese National Museum , stood there. In 1447 an attempt was made to annex the diocese of Faroe Islands to the diocese of Iceland , but it did not succeed.

The Reformation in the Faroe Islands in 1538 not only meant the end of the Catholic diocese, but also the perpetuation of the Danish language as the church and official language. At the same time, the entire church property (including around 40% of the land) fell to the Danish crown . This so-called king earth is now owned by the Faroese state. 1539-1557 the Lutheran diocese existed Faroe Islands to the Superintendent Jens Riber , but was as provost of the diocese of Bergen assumed. The first provost was Heini Havreki .

In 1709 the provost came under the Diocese of Zealand (Denmark) . In the period from 1720 to 1775 it belonged to the diocese of Iceland, then again to Zealand (until 1990).

The Danish church hymn book by Thomas Kingo 1699 achieved just as great an influence in the spiritual life of the Faroe Islands as did Jesper Brochmand's collection of sermons from 1650. Even today, long lectures in the Faroe Islands are referred to as Brochmandslestur (Brochmandlesung), while the Kingopsalme is still important Cultural assets are cultivated, today known outside the Faroe Islands through Eivør Pálsdóttir's versions on various CDs. So it was not surprising at the time that many Faroese could not imagine how church services, and religious life in general, could take place in a language other than Danish.

The cross in the flag : Christianity as a common part of national identity in Denmark and the Faroe Islands

Despite this Danish dominance in the spiritual and cultural life of the Faroe Islands, it was time and again Danish clergy who played an important role in the development of Faroese independence. The provost Lucas Debes , for example, organized the resistance in the time of the fork and published the first book about the Faroe Islands in 1673, with which he established the world's knowledge about this people. Another example is the priest Hans Christian Lyngbye , who came to the Faroe Islands in 1817 and was fascinated by the Faroese ballads and the Faroese chain dance . He learned Faroese from Jens Christian Svabo and in 1822, Færøiske Kvæder om Sigurd Fofnersbane og Hans Æt, published the first book in which Faroese was written. The great Danish theologian and church reformer Grundtvig encouraged his Faroese friend and colleague VU Hammershaimb to develop the Faroese written language, which came out in 1854.

Clergymen had a preparatory influence on the national revival movement that formed in the struggle for the language at the end of the 19th century. The Faroese language dispute was particularly borne by Jacob Dahl , whose Faroese Bible translations and other writings were immediately recognized by the state church. In 1939 Faroese was introduced as the church language. The Faroese theologian Kristian Osvald Viderø completed the translation of the Bible in 1961.

In 1963 the post of provost in the Faroe Islands was raised to the position of deputy bishop . The first woman in the Faroe Islands was ordained a priest in 1977, and since 1990 the Faroe Islands have again been a separate diocese ( monastery ). The Tórshavner Church has since been called the Cathedral Church and is the seat of the Bishop of the Faroe Islands ( Biskupur ).

Before 2007, the Danish state paid 13 million crowns (approx. 1.7 million euros) a year for the folk church in the Faroe Islands. After the 2007 handover, these costs will be borne by the Faroese taxpayer. On April 20, the treaty for the takeover of the People's Church between Denmark and the Faroe Islands was signed in Copenhagen. On June 11th, the last time the Dannebrog blew at the bishopric in Tórshavn. The handover took place during a service in Tórshavner Domkirche on the national holiday of Ólavsøka on July 29th. On that day, the Faroese culture minister Jógvan á Lakjuni and the Danish church minister Bertel Haarder signed a contract for future cooperation between the Faroese and Danish national churches in the House of the North .

structure

The Tórshavner Domkirche on the Tinganes peninsula is the spiritual center of the country.
Overview map of the Faroese municipalities . Today they no longer correspond in every case to the parish, but give a rough geographical overview.

The head of the Faroese national church is the Løgmaður (Prime Minister), currently Kaj Leo Johannesen . He takes the place of the Danish queen, who is the head of the Danish national church. The Church falls under the remit of the Ministry of Culture of the State Government of the Faroe Islands . The first church minister was Jógvan á Lakjuni , who was replaced by Kristina Háfoss in February 2008 . The Bishop of the Faroe Islands was Hans Jacob Joensen until November 25, 2007 . His successor in office is Jógvan Fríðriksson .

In the six regions of the Faroe Islands, the people's church is divided into 14 so-called Prestagjøld (parishes), which are looked after by 22 priests (pastors). They work in 58 parishes, each of which has a church council made up of lay people. As the priest on Sundays can not be simultaneously in all municipalities, there are lay people worship here, where the official book of sermons of the Faroe Islands of Jacob Dahl is read (1878-1944).

  1. North Islands (Norðoyggjar)
    1. Eystara Prestagjald with a priest in Viðareiði , responsible for the churches in Viðareiði, Hattarvík , Kirkja , Svínoy and Hvannasund
    2. Vestara Prestagjald with two priests in Klaksvík , responsible for the Christian church there and the churches in Árnafjørður , Kunoy , Húsar and Mikladalur
  2. Eysturoy
    1. Eiðis Prestagjald with a priest in Eiði , also responsible for the parishes in Gjógv , Funningur and Norðskáli
    2. Fuglafjarðar Prestagjald with a priest in Fuglafjørður , also responsible for Leirvík , Elduvík and Funningsfjørður
    3. Glyvra Prestagjald with a priest who sits in Lambi (there is no church there) and looks after the churches in Glyvrar and Rituvík .
    4. Nes Prestagjald with a priest in Fríðrikskirkjan zu Nes , who also looks after Gøtu Kirkja in Gøta .
    5. Sjóvar Prestagjald with a priest who sits in Innan Glyvur (no church building there) and is responsible for the churches in Strendur (Sjógv Kirkja), Skáli , Oyndarfjørður and Selatrað .
  3. Streymoy
    1. Norðstreymoyar Prestagjald with three priests based in Kvívík , Vestmanna and Hvalvík . They also look after the communities in Kollafjørður , Hósvík , Haldarsvík , Tjørnuvík and Saksun .
    2. Suðurstreymoyar Eystara Prestagjald is the parish of the Tórshavner Domkirche . Her four priests also look after the parishes in Nólsoy and Kaldbak .
    3. Suðurstreymoyar Vestara Prestagjald is the parish of Vesturkirkjan in Tórshavn . Her two priests are also responsible for the churches in Argir , Kirkjubøur (the famous Ólavskirkjan ) and Hestur .
  4. Vágar has only one parish: Vága Prestagjald . The two priests sit in Miðvágur and Vestmanna (identical to the priest already mentioned in Nordstreymoy). These include the churches of Sandavágur , Miðvágur, Sørvágur , Bøur and Mykines .
  5. Sandoy also has only one parish: Sandoyar Prestagjald . The priest of the Church of Sandur also looks after the parishes in Skálavík , Húsavík , Dalur , Skopun and Skúvoy .
  6. Suðuroy
    1. Norðara Prestagjald has a priest each in Tvøroyri and Hvalba . They also look after the churches in Fámjin and Sandvík .
    2. Sunnara Prestagjald is looked after by the priest in Vágur , who also looks after the parishes in Hov , Porkeri , Akrar (á Leiti) and Sumba .

Religion in everyday life and culture

Future of the Faroe Islands. Children playing on the coast as a symbol for 1000 years of Christianity.

Religion has a higher priority in the life of the Faroese than in most other Western societies. In addition to the isolated island location with its own social conventions and family ties and the role of the church in history, this could also be due to the reverence for creation , which manifests itself in the Faroese nature in a dramatic and unique way. Added to this are the difficult living conditions in the harsh North Atlantic.

Special Faroese customs that must be observed are the ban on fishing on Sundays and respect for the time when services are held. It is improper to meet a Faroese at this time because he could get into a conflict of conscience (hospitality requirement), so he should not be prevented from going to church. Football in the Faroe Islands can only be played on Sundays after a service.

The national holiday, Ólavsøka, is by no means just a folk festival, but also a religious holiday on which the Faroese celebrate the adoption of Christianity about 1000 years ago. The procession of the country's spiritual and political elites to the cathedral church, and back from there after the service, takes place with great participation by the population. The Løgting is only opened after the service . The national anthem Tú alfagra land mítt contains a clear religious reference and is also a song in the hymn book of the national church.

The Faroese media do their part to ensure that the religion is present on a daily basis. Bible quotes in newspapers, devotions on the radio, and even a church station of their own are all part of it. Christian music is also more present than in many other countries.

A special feature of the 20th century was the alcohol prohibition on the Faroe Islands , which was introduced in 1907 at the instigation of the various churches (not just the national church). The Faroe Islands were officially the driest country in Europe. Unofficially, however, they were not, and since 1992 - as in Iceland, Norway and Sweden - alcohol has been available in local state monopoly shops.

Well-known clergy

  • Heini Havreki (1514? –1576), first Protestant parish priest and later provost of the Faroe Islands
  • Lucas Jacobson Debes (1623–1675), Provost of the Faroe Islands. Published the first book on the Faroe Islands.
  • Johan Henrik Schrøter (1771-1851), was the first to translate the Gospel of Matthew into Faroese
  • VU Hammershaimb (1819–1909), Provost of the Faroe Islands. Created the Faroese written language.
  • Fríðrikur Petersen (1853–1917), Provost of the Faroe Islands, poet and politician
  • Andrias Christian Evensen (1874–1917), provost of the Faroe Islands for a short time as Petersen's successor, pioneer of the Faroese language
  • Jacob Dahl (1878–1944), Provost of the Faroe Islands as Evensen's successor. Translated the Bible into Faroese.
  • Kristian Osvald Viderø (1906–1991), theologian. Completed Dahl's translation of the Bible.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 2010 World Lutheran Membership Details; Lutheran World Information 1/2011 ( Memento from September 26, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ Dannebrog fyri seinastu ferð (the Dannebrog was always hoisted on public holidays that affect the Danish royal family. From now on the Faroese national church uses the flag of the Faroe Islands for this)
  3. ↑ portal.fo: Nú er kirkjan føroysk (“Now the Church is Faroese”), July 29, 2007
  4. ↑ portal.fo : Myndafrásøgn: Bispavígsla 2007 (photo series of the episcopal ordination), November 25, 2007
This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on August 15, 2005 .