Finnkirka, Kjøllefjord, Norway

On the sea approach to Kjøllefjord is the distinctive Finnkirka rock formation. According to legend, Finnkirka was an ancient sacrificial site for fishermen, seafarers and the Sami. Those sailing along the coast feared the stretch of sea past Nordkyn. On their eastward journey, seafarers sailed as far as the sea cliff Altertavla on the eastern side of the fjord and made an offering for a safe onward journey. On the return voyage, they sailed to Finnkirka on the western side of the fjord and gave an offering of thanks for surviving the voyage round Nordkyn.

The two rock formations are mentioned in old sources as a Sami sacrificial site and sacred sea cliff. Finnkirka is listed by The Directorate for Cultural Heritage in Norway (Riksantikvaren) as a Sami cultural monument. A marked trail offering spectacular viewing points leads out over the plateau above Finnkirka, but if you want to experience the cliffs at close range you need to go by boat.

Finnkirka has always led the way. Today the cliff is illuminated with artistic lighting when the Hurtigruten approaches it in the darkness of the Polar Night.

References:

Visit Nordkyn

Miscellaneous historic sites in Norway

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Seglvikveien 144, Kjøllefjord, Norway

See all sites in Kjøllefjord

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Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Norway

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www.visitnordkyn.com

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User Reviews

Annhild Brit Gustavsen (2 years ago)

Bjørn Rekdal (4 years ago)
Parked in the caravan park at the entrance to Kjøllefjord and looked straight out at Finnkirka. Finnkirka is a sea cliff shaped like a cathedral at the entrance to Kjøllefjord, Finnkirka is then both an old Sami sacrificial place, and a place where fishermen stopped to pray for good weather on their way out and give thanks for coming again.

J W (5 years ago)

Juha Varis (6 years ago)
We hiked to the Finnkirka: 10 km (round trip) with medium challenging route. Beautiful landscapes along the route (small rivers and lakes, a valley), birds and different kind of rocks. Finnkirka you can see above it, no possibility to walk there.

Vidar Hansen (7 years ago)

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Christian Lauw

Historic Site of the week

Wieskirche

The Pilgrimage Church of Wies (Wieskirche) is an oval rococo church, designed in the late 1740s by Dominikus Zimmermann. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the municipality of Steingaden.

The sanctuary of Wies is a pilgrimage church extraordinarily well-preserved in the beautiful setting of an Alpine valley, and is a perfect masterpiece of Rococo art and creative genius, as well as an exceptional testimony to a civilization that has disappeared.

The hamlet of Wies, in 1738, is said to have been the setting of a miracle in which tears were seen on a simple wooden figure of Christ mounted on a column that was no longer venerated by the Premonstratensian monks of the Abbey. A wooden chapel constructed in the fields housed the miraculous statue for some time. However, pilgrims from Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and even Italy became so numerous that the Abbot of the Premonstratensians of Steingaden decided to construct a splendid sanctuary.

Finnkirka