Washington Island Stavkirke is a stave church located in Washington Island, Wisconsin. It is owned and operated by Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church and is positioned a few hundred yards away from it.
| Washington Island Stavkirke | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
| Leadership | Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church |
| Status | Church |
| Location | |
| Location | Washington Island, Wisconsin |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Pat Mangan |
| Style | Stave church |
| Completed | 1995 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The construction
editThe volunteer-led construction of the church began in 1983 and was modeled after the Borgund Stave Church in Borgund, Lærdal, Norway, which was built in 1150. It was created to reflect the Scandinavian heritage of Washington Island and was originally proposed by James Reiff, who was the acting pastor of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran church from 1978–1985.[1][2][3] The building has twelve 18-foot masts all harvested locally from the island. Eleven of the masts are pine and one is white fir. 9,600 four-inch wide shingles make up the six-tiered roof of the Stavkirke.[4] The church was completed and dedicated in the summer of 1995.[5]
Its use
editAround 8,000–10,000 people visit the Stavkirke annually.[6] During the summer, a weekly Wednesday service is held in the building. Baptisms and wedding ceremonies are also held in the building.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Our History". Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
- ^ "Stavkirke Church on Washington Island | Door County, Wisconsin". Washington Island Ferry. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
- ^ "Stave Church On Washington Island Was Built To Honor Scandinavian Heritage". Wisconsin Public Radio. 2014-07-24. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
- ^ "Stavkirke". Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- ^ a b "Stavkirke". washingtonisland.com. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
- ^ Stavkirke Honors Washington Islanders’ Heritage by Jessica Gatzow, Door County Pulse and Door County Living, July 18, 2022
Further reading
edit- Purinton, Richard (2017). Island Stavkirke Island Bayou Press ISBN 978-0692916391.