Saint Olav's Church, Kirkjubøur
Saint Olav's Church (Faroese: Ólavskirkjan, Danish: Olavskirken) is a medieval church in the village of Kirkjubøur in Streymoy, Faroe Islands. It was built before 1200, which makes it the oldest church of the Faroe Islands. Until[dubious – discuss] the Reformation, it served as the seat of the Catholic bishop of the Faroe Islands.[1]
The 15th-century pew ends (Faroese: Kirkjubøstólarnir) from the church were transferred in 1875, after the church was restored, to the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen. They were returned to the Faroe Islands and exhibited at the National Museum of the Faroe Islands in 2002 where they are amongst the most valued cultural items of the National Museum.[2] There are 14 pew ends, 11 depicting the Apostles, and the three remaining ones depicting other Biblical figures. They were on several occasions featured on postal stamps — in 1980 (4 stamps), in 1984 (4 stamps), and in 2001 (4 stamps).[3][4]
A runestone, the Kirkjubøur stone, was found in 1832 in the church. It is now in the National Museum of the Faroe Islands.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Kirkjan í Kirkjubø" (in Faroese). Tórshavn: Føroya Stiftsstjórn. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
- ^ Patursson.com Archived 2011-07-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Runes in History - The Faroese Stones". Runes 101. 31 October 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- ^ "Pew Gables - Set of mint". Post of the Faroe Islands. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
External links
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