Kirkja (Settlement)

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Kirkja has 30 inhabitants and covers 20 merkur, of which 3 merkur are copyhold land and 17 merkur are freehold land. The copyhold land is divided between two copyhold tenants. The sheep herd consists of 410 animals.

The parish church has been in Kirkja since 1592, as suggested by its name. The church was worn down in 1833, but due to a fatal boat accident in 1818, in which many men drowned, it was not possible to build a new one. Hattarvík therefore became the church village. In 1933, a new church was built in Kirkja, designed by the local-born engineer and politician Louis Zachariassen. The altarpiece was painted by S. Joensen-Mikines.

Kirkja had its first school building in 1866, which covers the entire island as of 2021. In 2021, it had two pupils.

Further reading

Read more about The islands, towns and settlements

  • Hans Andrias Sølvará

    (b. 1962) PhD in History and MA in History and Philosophy. Professor and dean of the Department of History and Society at the University of the Faroe Islands.