Vågan Church, known informally as Lofoten Cathedral, is the largest wooden church in northern Norway, seating 1,200 people in a building that towers over the small village of Kabelvåg. It was built in 1898 to serve the thousands of seasonal fishermen who descended on Lofoten each winter — at its peak the town's population would swell from a few hundred to several thousand during the cod season.
The church stands where there has been a church since at least the 12th century, when Kabelvåg (then called Vågar) was the most important trading town in northern Norway. The site was the economic and religious centre of the Arctic fisheries long before Svolvær existed. The current building is a striking piece of Norwegian wooden church architecture, painted white with a red roof, and best photographed from the harbour.
Kabelvåg itself is worth the short drive or cycle from Svolvær — it has a more historic character than the regional capital, with the aquarium, Lofoten Museum, and Espolin Gallery all clustered around Storvågan, 1 km west of the church.