Roman Catholicism in the Faroe Islands

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The history of Roman Catholic Church in the Faroe Islands goes back to the year 999, when king Olav Tryggvason of Norway sent Sigmundur Brestisson on a mission to the islands with several priests. The islands became an independent diocese in 1111, but were officially reformed in 1537 and the last Catholic bishop was executed in 1538. After 1538, the Catholic Church was only revived in 1931 as a part of the bishopric of Copenhagen. The state church is now the Protestant Faroese People's Church. Today there are 130 Catholic believers from 23 nations living on the Faroe Islands. Their center of worship is the Mariukirkjan (St. Mary's Church) in Torshavn. Although the Catholic presence is small, the Church has had a large impact through the St. Frans school, run by the Franciscan Sisters since its establishment in 1933.