This church is owned and operated by The Church of Norway, the largest religious community in the country. It is an Evangelical-Lutheran church, and approx. 69% of the Norwegian population belong to it. There are eight cemeteries and six church buildings in Sør-Varanger parish. The first church building was consecrated in 1862 it was the district’s main church until it was destroyed by fire in 1944 after being bombed by Soviet planes. (Kirkenes was an important German port under the Second World War.) Only the spire remained. This was removed from the ruins and today can be seen standing in the left corner of the present church, together with a picture of the old building. The new church, was finished in 1959. The architect was Sofus Haugen. The church is open during services, and we try to keep it open from Tuesday to Friday if our staff does not have other activities in the district churches. Information about upcoming services can be found on the information board or website.