Sannidal
Encyclopedia
Sannidal is a former municipality which is now located in the municipality of Kragerø
Kragerø
is a town and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vestmar. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kragerø....

 in Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...

 county, Norway.

History

Sannidal is situated at the end of the Kil fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...

. For this reason it was one of the earliest settlements in the area, being an important link between the sea and the land. The village of Kil
Kil, Telemark
Kil is a village in Kragerø municipality, Norway. It is located near Sannidal to the west of Kragerø city and Helle. Its population is 901....

 was important for both exports and imports since the boat was the main means of transport at the time. Exports of timber dating from 1600s-1700s gave the area a good income and made Kil the first commercial center for Sannidal and surrounding country.

The parish of Sandøkedal, as it was formerly known was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...

). Skåtøy
Skåtøy
Skåtøy is a the largest island in Kragerø municipality in Telemark county, Norway.Skåtøy was formerly a municipality. Skåtøy was separated from Sannidal January 1, 1882. It was merged with Kragerø January 1, 1960....

 was separated from Sannidal January 1, 1882. (After the separation Sannidal had 2,186 inhabitants.) Sannidal (together with Skåtøy) was merged with Kragerø
Kragerø
is a town and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vestmar. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kragerø....

 January 1, 1960. Sannidal at the time had 2,604 inhabitants.

Etymology

Until 1857 the name was written "Sannikedal", in the period 1857–88 "Sandøkedal", in the period 1889–1917 (again) "Sannikedal", from 1918 onwards "Sannidal". The Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

 form of the name was Sandaukadalr. The first element is the genitive case of a word sandauki m 'increase of sand', the last element is dalr m 'dale, valley'. The first element is probably referring to some sandbanks.

Sannidal Church

Sannidal Church is a log-built church shaped in the form of a cross, dating back to 1771. It lies next to the old main road going south from Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

 to Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...

. Outside the church there is a big churchyard with two tall monuments to commemorate the men lost at war. The one to the south of the church is a reminder of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...

 1807–1814 when Norway was under Denmark and fighting on Napoleon's side against the British fleet. The monument outside the church entrance was erected after the last war. Every 8 May on Norwegian Armistice Day
Armistice Day
Armistice Day is on 11 November and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day...

 and on 17 May, Constitution Day
Norwegian Constitution Day
Norwegian Constitution Day is the National Day of Norway and is an official national holiday observed on May 17 each year. Among Norwegians, the day is referred to simply as syttende mai or syttande mai , Nasjonaldagen or Grunnlovsdagen , although the latter is less frequent.- Historical...

, wreaths are laid in honour of the men who gave their lives for King and country.

The present church came into use during the autumn of 1772. At that time Sannidal was under Krageroe. Sannidal did not have its own vicar neither did it have its own parish clerk. The building of the church can be credited to Jacob Matssøn Lund, appointed vicar of Kragerø and Sannidal in 1766; he was an able man who in addition to studying theology also had learned medicine and anatomy. He was the first to vaccinate against smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...

 and also instrumental in organising the general education in the village in 1777.

The stave church

Prior to the present church there was a stave church
Stave church
A stave church is a medieval wooden church with a post and beam construction related to timber framing. The wall frames are filled with vertical planks. The load-bearing posts have lent their name to the building technique...

 dating back to 1200, which was located on the small hill to the south of the present church. The reason for building the new one was that the stave church was dilapidated, a cold and drafty place during the winter period.
The stave church was dedicated to St. Laurentius, the Roman deacon burnt on the fire during the persecution of Christians in 258 under the emperor Valerian
Valerian (emperor)
Valerian , also known as Valerian the Elder, was Roman Emperor from 253 to 260. He was taken captive by Persian king Shapur I after the Battle of Edessa, becoming the only Roman Emperor who was captured as a prisoner of war, resulting in wide-ranging instability across the Empire.-Origins and rise...

.

Remains of the old stave church can be seen in the present church and old planks are used in the floor and roof. Some remains are also stored at Norsk Folkemuseum
Norsk Folkemuseum
Norsk Folkemuseum, the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History at Bygdøy in Oslo, is a large open air museum. Norsk Folkemuseum is one of Norway’s largest museum of cultural history....

 in Oslo where the pulpit and altarpiece are displayed. Stave churches date back a long time in Norway, they came with the introduction of Christianity to Norway and a total of more than 750 were once in use, today 31 remain.

The location for the church is also historical in that in pre-Christian times, before the years 1000–1100 in Norway, the place was used as a site for worshipping the old Norse gods. There was most probably a gudehov (pagan temple) located here.

The first time the church is mentioned is in Bishop Eystein's "red book" from 1398. Here it is referred to as "Moo kirkia j Sandhauka dale". Eystein Aslaksson was bishop in Oslo from 1385, and he was given the job of getting the poor economy of his bishopric in shape. During his yearly visitation he collected material describing the church's earthly goods. The name red book stems from the red cover it was given during the 16th century.

The stave church was located in the grounds of Moo farm, hence the name. Today the area is referred to as Mo, with the original farm half way up the hill to the north of the church. Farms with single-syllable names are usually the oldest in the area, and in this case refer to being a farm located on a sand- and gravel-rich moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...

.

Church vestibule

The Church vestibule
Vestibule (architecture)
A vestibule is a lobby, entrance hall, or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building.The same term can apply to structures in modern or ancient roman architecture. In modern architecture vestibule typically refers to a small room or hall between an entrance and the interior of...

 was restored for the 200-year-Jubilee in 1972 by recommendation of the Chief Inspector of Historic Buildings. It houses a grave plate cast at Mørland foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...

 in Kjølebrønd, in olden times a very busy place, south along the Kil fjord. The foundry was operational 1641–65 and the grave plate is from 1643 with the name Anna Krefting on it, probably the wife of Herman Krefting, who operated the foundry in its first years.

The old entrance door displayed on the south wall is from the old stave church as are the wooden entrance pillars on both sides of the door to the church nave. A small sword used to protect oneself on the way to church is also displayed on the south wall. Wild animals and robbers were a common occurrence in Norway, in fact so common that the Norwegian name for the vestibule is våpenhuset, the place to store weapons. Weapons are not to be worn in the room where Christ the Saviour is worshipped. A visitor to a Sunday service at the church might notice some people wear a sheathed knife in their belt: in Sannidal this is not a weapon, but is a most important tool for the Sannidøl, the home of many famous knife smiths and makers. A portrait gallery of vicars is also to be seen on the south wall. The longest reigning vicar, Torkell A. Tande, was also a member of parliament for many years.

Nave

The pulpit was donated by Knut Knutsen Dobbe and made in the early 19th century in a late Louis XVI style modelled along antique ideas. It is carved by Peder Olsen, a foundry model maker engaged by Bolvig, Froland and Egelands foundry. The old soapstone
Soapstone
Soapstone is a metamorphic rock, a talc-schist. It is largely composed of the mineral talc and is thus rich in magnesium. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occurs in the areas where tectonic plates are subducted, changing rocks by heat and pressure, with influx...

 christening font dates back to 1200. Next to the pulpit and the reader's chair there are two Gothic style two-armed candlestick holders going back to the 15th century. The importance of timber and later ice export on sailing ships for the area can be seen in the warrior sailing ship with cannons ready to fight for Christ.

Altar

The altar silver and Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...

 vessels also date back to the stave church and were given as gifts in the beginning of the 18th century. The storage case for the Eucharist bread was a gift from the skipper and the owner of the skip Patriarchen Jacob in thanks to God for intervening and saving the ship off the coast of Holland in 1703. A wine mug in silver was given in 1708 by skipper Olle Nielsøn and both his sons Niels and Jon Olesøn together with seven others. The intention was "to honour God and for beautifying of the altar in Sannidal church", according to the Norwegian engraved on it. The altar piece showing the crucifixion of Christ comes from the old "Christi kirke" in Kragerø dismantled in 1870. The piece is from the 17th century.

On the altar lies a Frederik 2nd edition bible, printed in Copenhagen in 1589. Nils Jensen Farsjø donated it.
The eye on the top of the altar piece is decorated with painted cherubs and radiating light; it probably also comes from the old "Christi kirke".

Community

Near to the church is the "Kirkestua", an old school building today used by the vicar and church clerk as well as a meeting place for small groups. It is also used for confirmation classes. Traditionally the large majority of Norwegian youth get confirmed while in their 9th school year. Confirmation is one of the main family gatherings and is a big feast day on the church calendar at the beginning of May.
The white house on the northern side of the road is the mission chapel run by Mo Evangelic Lutheran home mission. It is used for Christian meetings as well as a place for family gatherings after important church functions such as confirmations, weddings, christenings and burials.
Bygdetunet is located approximately 500 m to the west. This is a living museum exhibiting old houses from the area. This site is also used for important village gatherings such as the 17th May celebration.
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