Magnuskatedralurin – Kirkjubøur, Faroe Islands - Cathedrals on Waymarking.com

(da) Færøerne (Føroyar) er en gruppe på 18 øer af vulkansk oprindelse i den nordlige del af Atlanterhavet mellem Skotland, Island og Norge.

Færøerne er en delvis selvstyrende del af det Danske Rigsfællesskab ifølge Lov om Færøernes Hjemmestyre fra 1948 og udøver det parlamentariske selvstyre i et af verdens ældste parlamenter, Lagtinget. Øerne vælger to repræsentanter til det danske Folketing, og de har valgt ikke at være medlem af EU. Administrativt er øerne opdelt i 6 sysler og 30 kommuner.

(en) The Faroe Islands (Føroyar) is a group of 18 islands of volcanic origin placed between Scotland, Iceland and Norway in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean.

Faroe Islands is a semi-autonomous part of the Danish Kingdom and ruled under the Home Rule Act of 1948. The Parliamentary self-government is carried out in one of the world's oldest parliaments, Lavtinget. The islands select two representatives to the Danish Parliament (Folketinget in Copenhagen), and they have chosen not to join the EU. Administratively, the islands are divided into 6 shires and 30 municipalities.

(da) Der findes ingen skriftlige kilder, der kan fortælle om Færøernes ældste historie. En irsk gejstlig, Dicuil, omtaler i 825 et land, der ligger to døgns sejlads fra de nordlige britiske øer. Dette land kan have været Færøerne. Her boede irske munke, indtil de blev drevet væk af vikingerne i begyndelsen af det 9. århundrede. Religion har dog altid spillet en stor rolle på øerne, der blev kristnet i år 999 af Sigmundur Brestisson (961-1005),. Der var en vikingehøvding, som på kongebud forkyndte læren om den Hvíta Krist (kristendommen) på tinget i Tinganes. I dag er den færøske folkekirke som den danske en luthersk-evangelisk kirke, og ca. 85 % (40.000) af færingerne er medlemmer af den.

(en) There are no written sources that tells the oldest history of the Faroe Islands. An Irish monk named Dicuil mentions in 825 a country that is two days' sailing from the northern British Isles. This country may have been the Faroe Islands. Here, Irish monks lived until they were driven away by the Vikings at the beginning of the 9th century. Religion has always played a major role in the islands. They were Christianized in the year 999 of Sigmund Brestisson (961-1005) who was a Viking chief who proclaimed the king's doctrine of The Hvítá Christian (Christianity) at the Assembly (ting) in Tinganes. Today, the Faroese national church as the Danish is an Lutheran-Evangelical Church, and approx. 85% (40,000) of the Faroese population are members of it.

(da) Folkekirken er inddelt i seks regioner og 14 pastorater (prestagjøld) med 22 præster, som arbejder i 58 menigheder, der hver vælger deres eget menighedsråd. Med 22 præster til 58 menigheder forrettes en del gudstjenester af en diakon, der læser op af den officielle prædikebog, som er skrevet af Jacob Dahl (5. juni 1878 – 5. juni 1944 - provst på Færøerne og bibeloversætter).

(en) The National Church is divided into six regions and 14 reverends (prestagjøld) with 22 priests working in 58 congregations, each electing their own parish council. With 22 priests for 58 congregations part of the church services are conducted by deacons, who reads from the official book of sermons (written by Jacob Dahl 1878-1944 - Dean of the Faroe Islands and Bible translator).

(da) Bygden Kirkjubøur ligger på Streymoys sydvestkyst. Gennem tiderne har den været Færøernes kulturelle og åndelige centrum og i perioden fra 1111 og indtil reformationen i 1557 var bygden Færøernes bispesæde med Ólavskirkjan som øernes domkirke. Kirken, der efter reformationen blev en almindelig sognekirke, blev oprindeligt opført i 1200-taller og er færøernes ældste overlevende kirke.

(en) The settlement Kirkjubøur is on Stremoys southwest coast. Throughout the ages it has been cultural and spiritual center of the Faroe Islands. In the period from 1111 until the Reformation in 1557 the settlement was the episcopal residence with Ólavskirkjan as the island's cathedral. The church, which after the Reformation was used as an ordinary parish church, was originally built in the 1200s and are the oldest surviving church in the Faroe Islands.

(da) I biskop Erlunds tid på Færøerne (1269-1308) påbegyndte han omkring år 1300 opførelsen af en storslået katedral (Magnuskatedralurin – nu blandt færinger populært kaldet Múrurin). Katedralen skulle være 25 meter lang, 11 meter bred, 9 meter høj og med 1,5 meter tykke mure. Det var et meget ambitiøst projekt for et fattigt samfund som Færøerne, og man ved ikke om kirken nogensinde har været bygget færdig. Historien fortæller dog, at biskop Erlendur i al hast måtte forlade Færøerne, da befolkningen rejste sig i protest mod skatteudskrivning og tvangsarbejde. Det er i hvert fald fakta, at han i de sidste 3 år af sin tid som biskop opholdt sig i Bergen i Norge.
Magnuskatedralurin står nu som en ren ruin. Kun ydermurene er tilbage og for at bevare minderne for eftertiden, er Færøernes Nationalmuseum gået i gang med et bevaringsprojekt. Mange færinger håber dog på endnu mere og kunne godt tænke sig, at katedralen blev opført, som den oprindeligt var tiltænkt.

(en) During bishop Erlund time in the Faroe Islands (1269-1308) he started around the year 1300 the construction of a magnificent cathedral (Magnuskatedralurin - now among the Faroese popularly known as Múrurin). The cathedral was to be 25 meters long, 11 meters wide, 9 meters high and with 1.5 meters thick walls. It was a very ambitious project for a poor country like the Faroe Islands, and it is not known if the church has ever been finished. The story, however tells, that Bishop Erlendur hastily had to leave the Faroe Islands, as the people rose up in protest against tax collection and forced labor. It is certainly the fact that he in the last 3 years of his time as bishop stayed in Bergen, Norway.
Magnuskatedralurin now stands as a mere ruin. Only the outer walls are back and to preserve the memories for posterity, the Faroese National Museum have started a conservation project. Many Faroese nevertheless hopes on even more and could well imagine that the cathedral was built, as it was originally intended.

Address: Magnuskatedralurin 175 Kirkjubøur Faroe Islands Religious affiliation: Catolic Date founded or constructed: Construction started around the year 1300. Web site: [Web Link]

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