ST. CHRISTIAN CHURCH (CHRISTIANSKIRKJAN)

A beautiful mix of bold and traditional architecture. This church, dedicated to King Christian X (who died in 1947) and to all the sailors who died during the Second World War, was inaugurated by his son Frederik IX in 1963.

The building is inspired by the sober Faroese wooden churches. The outer walls are made of basalt blocks. On the sides, five gables are covered with black and white wood. The bell tower stands a little apart from the building.

The choir is built around the imposing 7 meter high painting illustrating scenes from the life of Christ. This fresco was created by the Danish artist Joakim Skovgaard (in 1901) for the cathedral of Viborg. Due to the dampness of the walls, the work was in danger of being damaged, so it was transferred to canvas, placed in the National Museum of Denmark, and then made available to the architect Peter Koch for his project.

The stained glass window in the rose window, by the Danish artist Ulrikke Marseen, depicts Christ carrying the weight of the world.

The granite baptismal font, which is about 4,000 years old, was originally used as a pagan offering vessel in a church in northern Zealand, Denmark.

Hanging under the nave's roof is an áttamannafar (a Faroese boat), the last one built for the presbytery of Viðareiði. It was part of the shipwreck at sea on Christmas Eve 1913. Several boats disappeared, including those from Skarð. All the adult males of this village perished that night.