Hvalsey Church, Greenland
Remains of Hvalsey church, a Viking church that was part of the Vikings' Eastern Settlement in Greenland (occupied c. 985-1450). The church lies near present-day Qaqortoq. A young couple was wedded at this church in 1408, and a letter from 1424 in which a Greenlandic priest testified to having been present at this wedding is now the last known written evidence of the Norse Greenlanders.
Questions & Answers
When were churches first built?
- Churches appear in the 1st century as homes of believers in which Christian worship services were held. Buildings constructed specifically as houses of worship appear between the 1st and 2nd centuries.
What is the oldest church in the world?
- The oldest church in the world extant is the Dura-Europos Church in Dura-Europos, Syria.
What is the largest church in the world?
- St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, constructed 1506-1626, is the largest church in the world.
What caused the change in the design of churches?
- Churches were often - not always - ornate and heavily ornamented buildings until the Protestant Reformation of 1517. Afterwards, Protestant congregations constructed more modest structures with a focus on the pulpit and a reduction or elimination of iconography and ornamentation. Catholic churches, generally, continued to be built with an emphasis on the grandeur and majesty of God.
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License & Copyright
Based on Wikipedia content that has been reviewed, edited, and republished.Original image by Number 57. Uploaded by Emma Groeneveld, published on 29 March 2018. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Public Domain. This item is in the public domain, and can be used, copied, and modified without any restrictions. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
