Crucifix – Free Church on Smögen, 1958

An early ecclesiastical commission: a crucifix for a free church on Smögen. This is described as 'one of Sivert's earliest artistic commissions.' How he came to receive the commission is unknown.
Smögen's Mission Church was erected in 1906 as a replacement for Smögen's 1st Mission House.
In the story of the free spiritual revival, Smögen was reached, among other ways, through a teacher from Gothenburg, Hilma Kullgren, who was sent there around 1866 to teach the children of the pilot and lighthouse staff. She also started a Sunday school, to which she invited all the children of the community. The parents also came, listened, and are said to have been moved by her preaching.
At the turn of the century, herring fishing was good on the west coast, and many were drawn to Smögen. The Mission House then felt too small when many gathered, and it was decided to erect a new and larger church. The old Mission House was demolished, and a new Mission Church was erected on the same site. In 1906, the new church was taken into use.
As the original congregation dispersed over time, the crucifix has also disappeared.
'Above the almost square cross, one can see a golden dove rising upwards.'
In Christian tradition, the dove is primarily a symbol of the Holy Spirit, purity, innocence, and peace.
At Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River, the Spirit of God descended upon him "in the form of a dove" (Matt 3:16). This is the origin of the dove still being used today as a symbol of the invisible, divine presence. After the Great Flood, if one believes that story in the Bible, Noah is said to have sent out a dove from the ark to see if the waters had receded. When it returned with a fresh olive leaf in its beak, it was a sign that the earth was once again habitable and that God's covenant with humanity was established. Sivert's dove lacks an olive branch, as far as I can see.

This appears to be the only preserved photograph documenting the work.