Tórshavner Cathedral is the second oldest received church of the Faroe Islands

Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...

, on Tinganes

Tinganes

Tinganes is the historic location of the Faroese landsstýri , and is a part of Tórshavn. The name means "parliament jetty" or "parliament point" in Faroese....

 in the old town of Tórshavn

Tórshavn

Tórshavn is the capital and largest town of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the north west of the town lies the high mountain Húsareyn, and to the southwest, the high Kirkjubøreyn...

. Painted white, and roofed with slate, it was established in 1788. The cathedral church lies in the north of the peninsula Tinganes and is one of the main attractions of the town. Like most churches of the country it belongs to the Evangelical-Lutheran national church of the Faroe Islands. Since 1990 it has been the seat of the bishop of the Faroes and is therefore known as a cathedral.

Early churches

The early history of the church is quite complicated. To all appearances there was no church in the strict sense in Tórshavn in the Middle Ages, only perhaps a "prayer house". It has been suggested that services were held in the Munkastovan in Tinganes. It was only in 1609, that a proper church, built on a stony hill, known as "úti á Reyni" was built on Tinganes, when King Christian IV directed the Lord Lieutenant at Bergenshus "to bestow upon the Faroese people some timber for the construction of their church...". In 1780 Rasmus Jørgen Winther became minister in Tórshavn and in 1782 seized the initiative to build a new church. However it was only in 1788 that Johannes Poulsen, to the building master in Torshavn. The church of Christian IV was demolished in 1798 following the consecration of the new church, and the timber was sold at an auction. Part of the furniture was transferred to the new church. In 1788 the population of Torshavn numbered approx. 600 people and in 1865 approx. 900 people.

The Present Church

Though it completely changed the appearance of the church, the rebuilding in 1865 seems in fact to have only marginally affected the structural parts of the 1788 church. The church has on the whole preserved its structure from 1865.
In 1935, however, the choir was extended by four metres and a new sacristy was built. The choir was also extended with an office and other secondary rooms in 1968. The nave itself contains 44 benches, the gallery 14.

Altarpiece

The altarpiece from 1647 is fitted on the north wall of the nave, with a painting of the Last Supper and the words of institution.
Inscription: ”Gud Allermechtigste Hans Hellige Ord och Sacramenter Till Ære och denne Sted til Zirat haffuer Hans Sevrensen fordum Ki0bmand her paa Faer0 foraerit denne Altertaffle til Torshaffns Kiercke 1647”. (For the Glory of God the Almighty, the Word and Sacraments and to ornament this Place, Hans Sevrensen, former Merchant of the Faroes, bestowed this altarpiece on the Church of Torshaffn in 1647).
It is a rather simple piece of work from the late Renaissance with a central section flanked by degenerated pilasters, pedestal section and a small top section.
The painting of the central section, the Last Supper, belongs to the large group of Danish 17th century paintings derived from the painting of the Last Supper by Peter Candid

Peter Candid

Peter Candid aka Peter de Witt or Peter de Witte was a Netherlandish Mannerist painter and architect. He moved to Florence as a child with his father, a tapestry weaver, and was trained in Italy. Candid worked with Giorgio Vasari on the Sala Regia in the Vatican and on the cupola of the Florence...

 - the Court painter to Wilhelm V - for the Franciscan house in Munich and popularised through prints by Sandeler. It was restored in 1961 by Ernst and Holmer Trier together with the local painter Fraser Eysturoy. The painting measures 100 x 100 cm.

The Bell From "Norske Löve"

The bell

Bell (instrument)

A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually a hollow, cup-shaped object, which resonates upon being struck...

 is said to have been acquired in 1708. It originates from the ship "Norske Löve" (Norwegian Lion), which went down in Lambavík on New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...

, 1707.

The bell is decorated with palmette

Palmette

The palmette is a motif in decorative art which, in its most characteristic expression, resembles the fan-shaped leaves of a palm tree. It has an extremely long history, originating in Ancient Egypt with a subsequent development through the art of most of Eurasia, often in forms that bear...

s and bears the inscription: "Danscke Ostindische Compagnies Scheb Nordische Löwe" (The Danish East India Company’s ship 'Nordische Löwe

Nordische Löwe

Nordische Löwe, also known as Norske Løve and as Norska Løva, was a ship with 36 cannons, owned by the Danish East India Company.-Sinking:...

', 1704), and the crowned monogram of the Company. It is 30 cm tall, and the diameter of the outside rim is 41.5 cm.