Norwegian church sale

rdf:langString Norwegian church sale

rdf:langString The Norwegian church sale (Norwegian: kirkesalget) was a comprehensive and systematic sale of most of the church properties in Norway during the 1720s. The purpose of this sale was the intention of improving the poor public finances in the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway after the Great Northern War. In 1721, the government decided that the churches in Norway and the property they owned, with some exceptions, would be sold. This event is often referred to as "the great church sale" (Norwegian: det store kirkesalget). This sale was mainly carried out in the years 1723 to 1730. A total of 632 churches and annex chapels with all their associated church estates were sold. About a hundred of them were sold to the congregations and the rest were sold to individuals, often clergymen such as bishops and priests. Later, most churches were bought back by the congregation, often with help from the municipality. In retrospect, this church sale has been criticized in relation to whether the King even had ownership of these properties. On the other hand, it can be considered a taxation of the rich in society - as it was they who often bought these properties in auctions.