The separatists’ cottage

Separatism, a form of non-conformism, was one of the many religious movements during the 19th century. It started in Norrbotten but came to be debated throughout the country.

The movement arose when ordinary parishioners reacted against priests who preached law instead of the gospel. It said clearly in the traditional books of the church that Man’s salvation was a gift of God, whilst the “new” books emphasized human virtue to achieve salvation.

The Separatists tried to persuade the Church to abandon the “new books”. When this failed, people chose to hold their own church services, carry out their own baptisms and celebrate Holy Communion in their own way. The Separatists celebrated holy days in this prayer house a few times a year. There were readings from Luther’s sermons and hymns from the 1695 hymnbook.

Typically the Separatists were quiet, devout people with a good knowledge of the Bible. When Separatism stood at its peak in 1860 the congregation had 400 members, but the movement splintered and soon declined in importance. The prayer house was donated to Nederluleå Parish in 1967. It is used today for confirmation classes.