Selje Explained

Selje
Former:yes
Former Name:Selløe herred
Idnumber:1441
County:Sogn og Fjordane
District:Nordfjord
Capital:Selje
Established:1 Jan 1838
Preceded:none
Disestablished:1 Jan 2020
Succeeded:Stad Municipality
Demonym:Seljeværing
Language:Nynorsk
Coatofarms:Selje komm.svg
Mayor:Stein Robert Osdal
Mayor Party:KrF
Mayor As Of:2015-2019
Area Rank:317
Area Total Km2:226.12
Area Land Km2:219.88
Area Water Km2:6.24
Area Water Percent:2.8
Population As Of:2018
Population Rank:279
Population Total:2757
Population Density Km2:12.5
Population Increase:-4
Coordinates:62.1372°N 5.2231°W
Utm Zone:32V
Utm Northing:6895225
Utm Easting:0303153
Geo Cat:adm2nd

Selje is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway and was located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The village of Selje was the administrative center this municipality. and neighborhoods in the municipality included Barmen, Ervik, Flatraket, Hoddevik, Hoddevika, Håvik, and Leikanger. On 1 January 2020 the municipality became part of the new Stad Municipality in the newly formed Vestland county.

Selje municipality had been located at the northwesternmost part of Sogn og Fjordane county. Most of the municipality was located on and around the Stadlandet peninsula as well as some small surrounding islands such as Selja and Barmøya.

At the time of its dissolution in 2020, the 226km2 municipality was the 317th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Selje was the 279th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,757. Its population density was and its population had decreased by 4% over the prior decade.[1] [2]

Selje was one of the first three Episcopal sees in Norway (Oslo, Nidaros, and Selje). After the diocese was moved to Bergen, monks took over the church in Selje, which was later destroyed by pirates in 1536. The municipality of Selje was also home to the Selje Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery located on the island of Selja. Ruins of the abbey and church can still be seen on the island.

General information

Selje was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The original municipality was identical to the historic Selje prestegjeld with the sub-parishes (Norwegian: sokn) of Hove and Vågsøy. The municipality originally included all of the Stadlandet peninsula, the island of Vågsøy and the mainland area north of the mouth of the Nordfjorden.[3]

On 1 January 1910, the southwestern district of Vågsøy was separated from Selje to form two new municipalities: Nord-Vågsøy and Sør-Vågsøy. The sub-parish of Hove was renamed Selje at the same time. After the separation, Selje had a population of 3,367 residents.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipalities of Nord-Vågsøy and Sør-Vågsøy as well as a small part of southern Selje municipality were merged to form the new Vågsøy Municipality. The parts of Selje involved were the island of Silda, the Hagevik-Osmundsvåg area, and the farms of Sørpollen and Straumen.[4] There were 344 residents in those areas that were moved out of Selje.

On 1 January 2020, Selje was dissolved as a municipality and it was merged with the neighboring municipality of Eid and the Bryggja-Totland area of Vågsøy and they formed the new Stad Municipality.[5] [6]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the small island of Selja since the first Selje Church was built there. The meaning of the name is uncertain. One possibility is that it is derived from the word which means "pasture shed", particularly used in the sæter mountain farms. A less likely possibility is that it comes from the word which means "room" or "hall", referring to the local cave where Saint Sunniva and her followers dwelled after reaching the island in the 10th century. Prior to 1889, the name was written Selø or Selløe.[7]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 5 April 1991 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Azure, a half woman with raised hands argent" (Norwegian: På blå grunn ein halv sølv kvinnefigur med lyfta hender). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is the upper half of a woman with raised arms and crown. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The woman is a depiction of Saint Sunniva, the royal Irish missionary who died as a martyr on the island of Selja while trying to convert he locals to Christianity. Later, the Selje Abbey was built on the spot where she died. She was later named the patron saint of the Norwegian Diocese of Bjørgvin and all of Western Norway. The arms were designed by Turid Haye. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Churches

The Church of Norway has three parishes (Norwegian: sokn) within the municipality of Selje. It is part of the Nordfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.[13] [14]

Churches in Selje!Parish (Norwegian: sokn)!!Church name!!Location of the church!!Year built
ErvikErvik ChurchErvik1970
LeikangerLeikanger ChurchLeikanger1866
SeljeSelje ChurchSelje1866
Note:the ruins of the Selje Abbey (built in 1100) are located on the island of Selja.

Government

While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[15] The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Sogn og Fjordane District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Norwegian: Kommunestyre) of Selje was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Mayors

The mayors (Norwegian Nynorsk; Nynorsk, Norwegian: ordførar) of Selje:[16]

Geography

Selje was located in the northwesternmost part of Sogn og Fjordane county, in the Nordfjord region. It included the Stad peninsula and the islands of Barmøya, Venøya, and Selja. Selje was surrounded by water on three sides: the Sildagapet bay on the west, the North Sea to the north, and the Vanylvsfjorden to the northeast. Selje municipality was bordered to the south and west by Vågsøy Municipality and to the east by Vanylven and Sande municipalities (in Møre og Romsdal county).

Economy

Historically, the main industries in the municipality of Selje were fishing and farming. These industries were present in Selje throughout its existence, with the addition of new industries such as fish breeding, boat building, ready-made clothing manufacturing, and service industries. The Skorge Hydroelectric Power Station was located in the municipality.

Attractions

Selja

On the island of Selja, a 15-minute boat trip from the village of Selje, lie the ruins of the Selje Abbey, its tower still intact. The abbey was built by Benedictine monks early in the 12th century in honour of St. Sunniva. The legend of St. Sunniva who was martyred here lives on. Norway has two male saints (St. Olav and St. Hallvard) and one female one, St. Sunniva, the guardian saint of Western Norway. According to legend, Sunniva, daughter of an Irish king, fled when her country was conquered by heathens and the new king wanted to marry her. She came ashore on the island of Selja. The St. Sunniva cave where Sunniva is said to have died is a large cavern containing remains of walls and traces of the first church dedicated to the Archangel Michael.

The island of Selja is also home to the following sites:

Vestkapp

The part of Norway's mainland that is farthest west is in Selje. The West Cape (Vestkapp) is above sea level at the northwestern end of the Stad peninsula. It is a precipitous rocky plateau, almost flat on top, that drops steeply down to the sea. In good weather, there is a panoramic view in all directions. It is immediately north of the village of Ervik.

Ervik

Ervik is located by the ocean near the West Cape at the end of the Stad peninsula. The Ervik Church is located here in memory of those who died when the coastal express ship Sanct Svithun was wrecked here after being mistakenly bombed in 1943 by Canadian planes. Ervik has a fine sandy beach which is popular for surfing, and a river rich in trout and salmon.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Statistisk sentralbyrå . Statistics Norway . 2018 . Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M) . 2019-10-05 . no.
  2. Web site: Statistisk sentralbyrå . Statistics Norway . 09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M) . 2019-10-05 . no.
  3. Book: Jukvam, Dag . 1999 . Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen . . no . 9788253746845.
  4. Web site: 19 March 2007 . The municipality of Selje . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110721163219/http://www.northseatrail.org/show_single_article.php?article_id=352&lang=uk . 21 July 2011 . 20 July 2008.
  5. Web site: Stad 2020: Eid og Selje i ny kommune . 2017-10-22 . no.
  6. Web site: Bryggja inn i Stad kommune . 2019-10-05 . Nye Stad kommune . no.
  7. Book: Rygh, Oluf . Oluf Rygh

    . Norske gaardnavne: Nordre Bergenhus amt . 1919 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 12 . Kristiania, Norge . 384 . no . Oluf Rygh.

  8. Web site: Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen . 2023-06-20 . Heraldry of the World.
  9. Web site: Selje, Sogn og Fjordane (Norway) . 2023-06-20 . Flags of the World.
  10. Web site: 1991-04-05 . Godkjenning av våpen og flagg . 2023-06-20 . Lovdata.no . Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet . no.
  11. Encyclopedia: Selje . . . 2019-10-05 . 2019-09-30 . Askheim . Svein . no . Geir . Thorsnæs.
  12. Web site: Selje kommune, våpen . 2023-06-20 . Digitalarkivet . Arkivverket . no.
  13. Web site: Selje kirkelige fellesråd . Den Norske Kirke . no.
  14. Web site: Natvik . Oddvar . 9 February 2005 . Some historical data on the 26 Kommunes . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724180634/http://www.sf-f.kommune.no/sff/emigration3.nsf/enduser?readform . 24 July 2011.
  15. Encyclopedia: kommunestyre . . . 2023-01-01 . 2022-09-20 . Hansen . Tore . no . Vabo . Signy Irene.
  16. Web site: 2004-01-06 . Ordførarar i Selje kommune . 2023-06-21 . NRK Fylkesliksikon . no.
  17. Web site: Selje Municipality in Norway . 20 July 2008 . GoNorway.com.