Taste of Vesteralen, Part One, Harstad Church

 November 13, 2022

Sunday morning, on what would have been my mother's birthday, we tied off in the dim morning light of Harstad, on the westerly edge of the archipelago of Vesteralen.  Here the MS Richard With had but a brief stop, but I would be disembarking.  Since this line of the Hurtigruten is actually a working ferry for people and goods, their schedule is set by that need.  So sometimes if a shore excursion requires more time, it includes a bus ride that follows the ship on land, and catches up with the ship at a port further down the route. 

The Vesteralen Islands, nearly halfway down the western coast of Norway, sit just above the famous Lofoten Islands.  Many of the islands are connected by bridges, but as we rode towards our port of embarkation, we would also need one ferry ride.  

Our itinerary was to have included a stop at Trondenes Church, the northernmost surviving stone church in the world.  Construction of this simple red-roofed building began in 1250, but took many years to complete.  Now, however, it was undergoing some restoration, so we were taken to the nearby church in Harstad for a short service.  Situated on a rise, it has a sweeping view to the sea.

Harstad Church was constructed in 1958 in the more modern style, including a parish hall, fellowship hall, narthex, bathrooms, and a kitchen, rather than a single room as with traditional churches of bygone eras.

Outside the church stands a statue of Hans Egede (1686 - 1758), born in Harstad and a Lutheran missionary to Greenland.

After a very brief message, we joined in singing a hymn that had been printed in seven languages.  The hymn and service was especially meaningful to me as my mother loved both attending church, and singing hymns.  She studied many of the hymns and their origins, and published a book on hymnology.

The upper portion of the mural behind the altar seems to be a depiction of Christ after His resurrection.  The lower portion is of Hans Egede and his outreach to the Inuit people of Greenland.

In the triangular space above the entrance door was this beautiful organ.

On a table in the narthex was a model of the church, constructed with corrugated plastic sheets.