The Church of the Faroe Islands (Faroese: Fólkakirkjan, lit. 'people's church'; Danish: Færøernes folkekirke), also known as the Faroese People's Church, is the established church and the largest religious organization in the Faroe Islands.[1] It is an Evangelical Lutheran church, continuing the Lutheran tradition established during the Protestant Reformation. The church is one of the smallest state churches in the world.[2] Prior to becoming independent on 29 July 2007, it was a diocese of the Church of Denmark, also a Lutheran church. As of 2023, 77.0% of the Faroe Islanders belonged to the state church.[3]
Depiction of Tróndur í Gøtu raising the hammer of Thor against the arrival of Christianity in the Faroes on a 2000 stamp
According to Færeyinga saga, the Viking chief Sigmundur Brestisson brought Christianity to the Faroe Islands. On the orders of the Norwegian king Olaf Tryggvason, Sigmundur forced the island people to convert to Christianity in 999. Resistance to the new religion led by the notorious Tróndur í Gøtu was quickly suppressed, and even though Sigmundur himself lost his life, Christianity gained a foothold.[4]
Some years after the introduction of Christianity, the Faroese church was established as a diocese, with an episcopal residence in Kirkjubøur, and suffragan to several metropoliticalsees in succession, but eventually (after 1152) subject to the archdiocese of Nidaros (Tróndheim). There were probably 33 bishops in the Faroe Islands between the time Christianity was introduced to the islands and the Reformation, but there is little information available about the Faroes during the Middle Ages.[5]
The historical narratives of the Faroe Islands, as depicted in their sagas, suggest a complex relationship between the church and the population. The saga of the battle of Mannafallsdal includes scenarios where church authorities acquired landholdings and implemented taxation which led to social unrest and rebellion. However, the accuracy and historical veracity of these sagas are subject to scholarly debate. They offer a perspective rich in cultural context but may not always align with historical facts.
Contemporary documentation does corroborate some elements of these narratives, such as the destruction of the bishop's residence in Kirkjubø and the subsequent removal of Bishop Erlend from the islands by royal decree, with his eventual death in Bergen in 1308.
In 1538, the last Catholic bishop in the Faroe Islands was removed from his position. His Protestant replacement lasted only a few years, and then he left the islands as well, as a dean took over as the representative of the church under the Bishop of Zealand in Denmark.
Lutheran Church
The form of Lutheranism advocated by Zealand Bishop Jesper Brochmand played a notable role in the religious landscape of the Faroes, having a more prolonged presence than in other parts of the Kingdom of Denmark. Brochmand's devotional writings, believed to date from around 1650, along with the hymns of Thomas Kingo from 1699, had a considerable influence on the spiritual and cultural life of the Faroe Islands until the 20th century. The term "Brochmandslestur" has been coined in contemporary language to describe lengthy and, in some opinions, monotonous texts and speeches.
Faroese clergymen played a major part in the National awakening and language conflict, which was a conflict within Faroese society rather than with the Danish.
The lifting of the Danish trade monopoly in 1856 led to a resurgence of Faroese culture, which had been suppressed for a long time. This influenced the Christianity that was practiced and observed on the islands.
In the early 20th century, after considerable debate and effort, Faroese language gained equal status with Danish in religious practices, specifically in hymns and sermons, around 1924-25. This was extended to ecclesiastical rituals such as christenings, burials, and marriages in 1930.
A pivotal figure in this linguistic and cultural shift was Dean Jákup Dahl, who translated the New Testament from Greek, publishing it in 1937. Following Dahl's death in 1944, his work was continued by Vicar Kristian Osvald Viderø, who translated the rest of the Bible from Hebrew. The first authorized Faroese edition of the Bible was published in 1961.
The year 1963 saw two notable developments: the publication of the first Faroese hymn book and the elevation of the ecclesiastical position of dean to deputy bishop. The church's first female vicar was ordained in 1977. Then, in 1990, the Faroe Islands were established as an independent diocese within the Church of Denmark, appointing their own bishop.
21st century
In 2005, the Faroes signed a treaty with Denmark that allowed for the take over of most public institutions, including the Vágar Airport and the church. On 29 July 2007, on the date of the national holiday, Ólavsøka, the Faroese Church became totally independent of the Church of Denmark.
Membership statistics
Year
Population
Church members
Percent
Annual change
2001
46,127
38,883
84.3%
—
2002
46,940
39,469
84.1%
0.2%
2003
47,647
39,925
83.8%
0.3%
2004
48,147
40,262
83.6%
0.2%
2005
48,298
40,401
83.6%
0.0%
2006
48,120
40,243
83.6%
0.0%
2007
48,262
40,298
83.5%
0.1%
2008
48,303
40,170
83.2%
0.3%
2009
48,604
40,272
82.9%
0.3%
2010
48,486
40,071
82.6%
0.3%
2011
48,431
39,881
82.3%
0.3%
2012
48,178
39,576
82.1%
0.2%
2013
48,030
39,409
82.1%
0.0%
2014
48,122
39,372
81.8%
0.3%
2015
48,591
39,605
81.5%
0.3%
2016
49,096
39,793
81.1%
0.4%
2017
49,786
40,152
80.6%
0.5%
2018
50,459
40,483
80.2%
0.4%
2019
51,263
40,838
79.7%
0.5%
2020
52,084
41,242
79.2%
0.5%
2021
52,859
41,580
78.7%
0.5%
2022
53,559
41,827
78.1%
0.6%
2023
54,175
41,729
77.0%
1.1%
Source: The Faroese Diocese Board/National Register Office[6]
Leadership
The Bishop (Biskupur) of the Faroe Islands is the Right Reverend Jógvan Fríðriksson,[7] who is the church's chief pastor. Born on 19 February 1957, he was ordained in 1985 and worked as a parish priest on the Faroese island of Eysturoy. He was consecrated as bishop in 2007, and is the first bishop of the independent Church of the Faroe Islands, following its independence from the Church of Denmark. The Bishop's seat is at Tórshavn Cathedral.
The Cathedral Dean (Dómpróstur) of Tórshavn Cathedral is the Very Reverend Uni Næs. The Dean is the second most senior cleric, deputising for the Bishop in his absence, and sits ex officio on the Church of the Faroe Islands ministerial council.
There are about 25 ordained priests serving the churches and chaplaincies of the Church of the Faroe Islands. Around 60 churches and chapels are grouped into 14 parishes across the country. The Church of the Faroe Islands clergy directory lists 25 parish priests (Sóknarprestur), of whom one also serves as hospital chaplain, and one as diocesan exorcist.[7]
Jens Riber (1540–1556): the first Lutheran Bishop of the Faroe Islands
From 1556 until 1990, the Faroe Islands were part of the Diocese of Copenhagen. During this period, the islands did not have an independent bishopric.
Hans Jacob Joensen (1990–2007): the first bishop since 1556 which marked the return of a separate diocesan identity for the Faroe Islands within the Church of Denmark
Jógvan Fríðriksson (2007–present): first bishop of the independent Church of the Faroe Islands
^Referenced at the Encyclopedia of Global Religion, edited by Mark Juergensmeyer, published 2012 by Sage publications, ISBN978-0-7619-2729-7, page 390. (Page available on-line here).
