King Oskar II Chapel by Kai Müller

About "King Oskar II Chapel"

by Kai Müller

About the artwork

The King Oscar II Chapel (Kong Oscar IIs kapell in Norwegian) is a small Evangelical Lutheran church in the abandoned village of Grense Jakobselv in the municipality of Sør-Varanger in the east of Troms og Finnmark in the far north-east of Norway.
The chapel is located above the Jakobselva River, which flows into the Varangerfjord and widens like an estuary here, the centre of which forms the border with Russia - between Norway and Finland from 1920 to 1944. The granite rock construction was erected as a border marker after frequent disputes between Norwegian and Russian fur trappers and fishermen over the course of the border and was consecrated by Bishop Friedrich Waldemar Hvoslef in September 1869. There is also a vicarage. The architect was Jacob Wilhelm Nordan. The church was restored in 1992.
The church, which seats 70, was given its name in 1873 on the occasion of a visit by the Norwegian King Oskar II of Sweden. A marble plaque with the inscription: "King Oskar II heard the word of God here on 4 July 1873"[1] in Norwegian and Sami commemorates the visit. The chapel was a landmark for sailors because it was easily recognisable from the sea. It was whitewashed in 1883 and again in 1884 to make it more visible[2]. This white colour was removed in 1969 for the centenary. All ecclesiastical silver was stolen before the liberation of Finnmark (see Enterprise Northern Lights and 20th Mountain Army) in 1944.