Church of the Faroe Islands

The Faroese People's Church ( Faroese: Fólkakirkjan ) is made on the basis of their takeover of the Act of 2005 takeover by the Faroese government on 29 July (National Ólavsøka ) 2007 State of the smallest churches in the world. Previously, she was an independent diocese to the Danish National Church.

The People's Church is an Evangelical Lutheran Church, the members of about 85 % of the Faroes; it is one therefore approximately 40,000 members. 2003, there were 170 marriages in the People's Church, which corresponds to 74% of all marriages in the Faroe Islands. Religion plays a more important and more self role than in most other European countries in the everyday life of the Faroese society.

As in all Scandinavian state churches bear the pastor (or pastors ) the title of priests ( prestur, plural: prestar ). According to their ordination is called ordination, but is in contrast to the local Catholic Church there is no sacrament of Holy Orders. They are civil servants. Theological and spiritual leader of the Faroese People's Church is Jógvan Fridriksson (2007 -).

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

Ecclesiastical History of the Faroe Islands

See also overview article: History of the Faroe Islands, the Diocese of the Faroe Islands

After the Christianization of the Faroe Islands from 999 through Sigmundur Brestisson and the final enforcement of the Catholic Church 1035 by Leivur Øssurson the diocese Faroe Islands was established in 1100 with headquarters in Kirkjubøur. First, it belonged to the Archbishopric of Hamburg -Bremen, from 1104 to Lund, and in 1152 /53, Nidaros (Trondheim ). The most famous bishop in the history of the Faroe Islands should be Erlendur, who left in 1300 to build the Magnusdom in Kirkjubøur, which is the most important building in the country today. The Magnusdom was probably never completed, and instead the St. Olav's Church (ca. 1250) served as a bishop's seat. There was also the famous pews of Kirkjubøur, this is the greatest art treasure in the Faroese National Museum today. 1447 an attempt was made the diocese Faroe Islands to affiliate the diocese Iceland, which did not succeed.

The Reformation in the Faroe Islands in 1538 meant not only the end of the Catholic diocese, but also the perpetuation of the Danish language as churches and official language. At the same time the entire church property fell to the Danish crown (including about 40 % of the land ). This so-called King Earth is now owned by the Faroese government. 1539 to 1557 there was the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of the Faroe Supterintendenten Jens Riber, but was then assumed to be provost of the diocese of Bergen. First provost was Heini Havreki.

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

The Danish Church Hymns by Thomas Kingo in 1699 became the spiritual life of the Faroe Islands as great influence as was the sermon collection by Jesper Brochmand from in 1650. Still be in the Faroes long and boring lectures called Brochmandslestur ( Brochmandlesung ), while the Kingopsalme still be maintained as an important cultural property, known today outside the Faroe Islands by Eivør Pálsdóttirs versions on different CDs. So it was not surprising then that many Faroese could not imagine how religious services, and religious life in general, could take place in a language other than Danish.

Despite these Danish dominance in the spiritual and cultural life of the Faroe Islands, there were also repeatedly Danish clergyman, who played an important role for the development of Faroese independence. The provost Lucas Debes organized, for example, the resistance in the fork time and published in 1673 the first book on the Faroe Islands, which he founded the knowledge in the world over this people. Another example is the priest Hans Christian Lyngbye, who came in 1817 to the Faroe Islands and was fascinated by the Faroese ballads and the Faroese chain dance. He learned Faroese Jens Christian Svabo and brought in 1822 with Færøiske Kvæder om Sigurd Fofnersbane og Hans t is the first book ever out, was written in the Faroese. The great Danish theologian and church reformer Grundtvig Faroese encouraged his friend and colleague VU Hammershaimb the development of the Faroese written language that came out in 1854.

So clerics preparatory influence on the national revival movement in the struggle for the language was formed in the late 19th century. The Faroese language conflict was driven in particular by Jacob Dahl, whose Faroese Bible translations and other writings were immediately recognized by the state church. 1939 Faroese was introduced as a church language. The Faroese theologian Kristian Osvald VIDERO completed the translation of the Bible in 1961.

In 1963, the office of provost was raised in the Faroe Islands to the Deputy Bishop. 1977 was the first woman in the Faroes their ordination to the priesthood, and in 1990 the Faroe Islands are again independent diocese (pen ). The Tórshavn Church has since been named the Cathedral and is the seat of the Bishop of the Faroe Islands ( Biskupur ).

So far, the Danish state 13 million kroner paid annually (about 1.7 million euros ) for the People's Church in the Faroe Islands. After the handover in 2007, these costs are borne by the Faroese taxpayers. On 20 April, the agreement for the acquisition of the People's Church between Denmark and the Faroe Islands was signed in Copenhagen. On June 11, the last time the Dannebrog was blowing at the bishop's seat in Tórshavn. The handover took place at a church service in Tórshavn Cathedral for National Ólavsøka on July 29. On that day a covenant for future cooperation between the Faroese with the Danish National Church was signed in the house of the North from the Faroese Minister of Culture Jógvan á Lakjuni and the Danish Church Minister Bertel Haarder.

Structure

Leader of the Faroese People's Church is the Løgmaður (Prime Minister), Kaj Leo Johannesen currently. He thus takes the place of the Danish Queen, is the head of the Danish National Church. The church falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of the Faroe Islands. First Church minister was Jógvan á Lakjuni, who was replaced in February 2008 by Kristina Háfoss. The Bishop of the Faroe Islands until 25 November 2007 Hans Jacob Joensen. His successor in office Jógvan Fridriksson.

The People's Church is divided into the six regions of the Faroe Islands in 14 so-called Prestagjøld ( parishes ) of 22 priests ( pastors ) are cared for. You do the work in 58 communities, each providing a council which is occupied by the laity. As the priest can not be simultaneously Sundays in all communities, there are lay religious services, where the official book of sermons of the Faroe Islands by Jacob Dahl (1878-1944) is read.

Religion in everyday life and culture

Religion has in the lives of Faroese more important than in most other Western societies. The reasons for this could be in addition to the isolated island location with its own social conventions and family ties, and the role of the Church in history and the reverence for creation, which manifests itself in the Faroese nature in dramatic and unique way. In addition, the difficult living conditions in the rough North Atlantic.

Special Faroese practices that need to be considered, are the fishing ban on Sunday and respect for the time, take place in the church services. It is unseemly to make an appointment with a Faroese at this time, because he could be so caught in a crisis of conscience (principle of hospitality ), so you should not deter from the possibility of the church Ganges him. Football in the Faroe Islands may be played on Sunday after a church service.

The national holiday, the Ólavsøka is not only a popular festival, but also a religious holiday celebrated on the Faroese adoption of Christianity about 1000 years ago. The procession of the spiritual and political elites of the country back to the Cathedral, and after the service from there, takes place under great sympathy of the population. It was only after the service the Løgting is opened. The National Anthem Tú alfagra country MITT contains a unique religious reference and is available as a song in the hymnal of the People's Church.

The Faroese media play their part in ensuring that religion is a daily presence. Bible quotations in newspapers, on the radio devotions, and even its own church stations belong to. Christian music is also more present than in many other countries.

A special feature in the 20th century was the alcohol prohibition in the Faroe Islands (not only the people's church ) was introduced in 1907 at the instigation of the various churches. The Faroe Islands were officially the driest country in Europe. Unofficially, they were certainly not, and since 1992, you can - as in Iceland, Norway and Sweden also - alcohol in state monopoly stores bought on site.

Known Spiritual

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. Has the first book on the Faroe published.
Johan Henrik Schroter (1771-1851), translated as first the Gospel of Matthew in the Faroese
VU Hammershaimb (1819-1909), provost of the Faroe Islands. Has the Faroese written language created.
Fríðrikur Petersen (1858-1917), provost of the Faroe Islands, poet and politician.
Andrias Christian Evensen (1874-1917), short -time dean of the Faroe Islands Petersen's successor, the champion of the Faroese language.
Jacob Dahl (1878-1944), provost of the Faroe Islands as Evensens successor. Has translated into Faroese the Bible.
Kristian Osvald VIDERO (1906-1991), theologian. Has Dahl completed translation of the Bible.

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