Dønna

People on Dønna held Ole Edvart Rølvaag in high esteem during his time, and his authorship remains relevant today.

An exhibition at the Dønna Library presents his life and work. Visitors can also explore Rølvaag’s legacy by visiting his birthplace, where a bust of him stands. Other notable sites to visit include the Dønnes farm, Dønnes church, and Snekkevik school.

- In Rølvaag's Footsteps

The view from Rølvaags
birthplace

Photo: Tore Nyheim

MAP

 

Exhibition at Dønna Library

In the autumn of 2021, Dønna municipality purchased a complete collection of the first editions of Ole Edvart’s work from Cato Schiøtz.

In January 2023, the Dønna Library in Solfjellsjøen opened an exhibition to present the author’s life and work.

Visitors can view the exhibition during the library's opening hours or by appointment.

Photo: Tore Nyheim

Bust of O. E. Rølvaag

On August 25, 1976, a bust of Ole Edvart Rølvaag was unveiled. The bust stands on the farm where he grew up.

This copy of the original bust, located in the "Rolvaag Memorial Library" at St. Olaf College, was funded by the college. Aschehoug Publishing, Rølvaag's Norwegian publisher, paid for the installation, carried out by stonemasons from Tjøtta. The foundation consists of stone from Dønna, an old stone trough from a pier in Torsvika.

During the unveiling, an old, small boat sail symbolized the author’s connection to, and struggle against, the elements in his youth. The bust gazes out towards the sea, towards the west.

Photo: Tore Nyheim

Snekkevik school

Snekkevik School is one of the oldest school buildings in Helgeland and the first to be built on Dønna. The building cost 300 speciedaler when completed in 1837.

The building contains a schoolroom and an apartment for the teacher at opposing ends. In the attic, students who came from afar stayed in small boarding rooms. The teaching position came with enough land for two cows.  

By 1852, the school was too small, and it was expanded. In the early years, the school was divided into two sections. As the number of students continued to grow, the school was again divided into three parts in 1904. Eventually, the school building could not handle the steadily increasing number of students. It closed in 1922 when a new and more modern school was built near Dønnes Church.

After the closure, the building served as a teacher's residence, rental property, and health station. Poet John Klæbo, author Ole Edvart Rølvaag, and Bishop Anton Chr. Bang all attended Snekkevik School.

Photo: Hilde Johansen

Dønnes farm

The history of Dønnes Farm stretches back for over 800 years. For 700 years, the farm formed the main seat of the former Dønnes estate, one of the largest estate collections in Northern Norway.

In the 13th century nobleman and sheriff Pål Vågaskalm owned Dønnes. He and "Dynjarnes" are mentioned in Håkon Håkonsson's saga. During this period, the estate grew with Dønnes as its center. Vågaskalm is also likely the builder of Dønnes Church.

In 1651, the nobleman Henrik Rantzow purchased the estate. The deed from this sale contains the oldest records of the estate. The core of the estate was still centered around North Dønna, including the surrounding islands and the fjord areas in Rana.

 Preben von Ahnen sold the estate to Peder Christoffersen Tønder in 1675. The deed shows that the estate then consisted of about 200 farms. Peder Tønder was the county governor from 1692 until his death in 1694. With Tønder, a family tradition began that lasted until 1911.

In 1751, the sole heir Marie Emahus Tønder married Lieutenant, later Lieutenant Colonel, Isach Jørgen Coldevin. Through five generations, the Coldevin family contributed to the development of Northern Norwegian agriculture. They built a dairy, started collecting milk by tanker boat, planted forests, and bought Norway's first tractor in 1908. The Coldevin’s actively participated in governance, and Hans Coldevin became the first mayor of the newly established Dønnes municipality in 1888. 

Photo: Hilde Johansen

The last estate owner, Isac Jørgen Coldevin, inherited a reduced estate in 1904, consisting mainly of coastal farms. In 1911, the estate went bankrupt and was dissolved. The tenant farmers gradually bought their respective farms.

In 1917, John Mikal Løvdahl purchased the main farm. The farm is still owned by his descendants. The oldest settlement found on Dønnes is a field with flat graves from the Merovingian period (550 – 750 AD), containing a well-preserved female skeleton.

Dønnes church

Dønnes Church is a remarkable example of Norwegian medieval architecture. Originally built as a private nobleman's church, it has also served as a parish church, burial site, and storage space.

Dønnes Church is a remarkable example of Norwegian medieval architecture. Originally built as a private nobleman's church, it has also served as a parish church, burial site, and storage space.

The church features its own mausoleum, added in the late 17th century. This mausoleum is one of the largest and best-preserved in Norway, housing 22 coffins from the Tønder and Coldevin families.

The history of Dønnes Church is closely intertwined with that of Dønnes Farm. Until 1796, the church was privately owned and served as the nobleman's church for the owner of the Dønnes estate. The church was likely built in the early 12th century by Pål Vågaskalm, the king's nobleman and sheriff.

The church is notable for its advanced design, featuring three levels—a rare architectural feature in Norway. Beneath the church floor lies an elaborate burial chamber, intended for the builder and his family. The nave serves as the main floor, while a stone staircase inside the wall leads to a room above the choir. The original purpose of this room is unclear, though it may have functioned as a small chapel or sacristy for the priest. The nave is distinguished by two large, clover-shaped side altars, each adorned with wooden sculptures of the Virgin Mary with the Child and Saint Lawrence, dating from the 12th to 13th century. Around 500 coins have been found under the church floor (including several from the 13th century), along with the remains of a reliquary, saintly figures, and jewelry.

For a time, the church fell into disrepair. When Preben von Ahnen purchased the Dønnes estate in 1651, he restored the church, equipping it with a pulpit, altarpiece, and paintings of "The Nine Virtues," which are now on the gallery front. 

Photo: Hilde Johansen

Peder Tønder purchased the estate in 1675 and built a mausoleum for himself and his descendants. It was in use until 1869. The mausoleum, with its 22 freestanding coffins spanning six generations, is well preserved.

The church was then sold to the mission college in 1796 and later to the congregation in 1824. In 1865, the church was expanded with a larger nave. In the years 1966-74, the church was restored to its near-original appearance.

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