Catharina Freymann (16 September 1708 – 12 December 1791) was a Norwegian educator and

pietist Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life, including a social concern for ...

leader. Catharina Maria Freymann was born in Christiania (now Oslo, Norway). She was the daughter of Wenzel Freymann and Karen Bartholomeusdatter. Her father was a blacksmith who had immigrated from Bohemia. Her parents placed great emphasis on the children's upbringing and Christian education. When her father died, she lived to the home of Lieutenant Colonel Jørgen Meding at

Toten Toten is a traditional district in Innlandet county in the eastern part of Norway. It consists of the municipalities Østre Toten and Vestre Toten. The combined population of Toten is approximately 27,000. The largest town is Raufoss with appro ...

Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The c ...

, where she was influenced by the pietistic movement within

Lutheranism Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

. In 1733, she started a girl school in his parents' house which she had inherited. In 1737, she was visited by the Danish theologian Gert Hansen, who had been influenced by the teachings of

John Hus Jan Hus (; ; 1370 – 6 July 1415), sometimes anglicized as John Hus or John Huss, and referred to in historical texts as ''Iohannes Hus'' or ''Johannes Huss'', was a Czech theologian and philosopher who became a Church reformer and the inspi ...

and the

Hussites The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation. The Huss ...

revival. When Gert Hansen was arrested for not having submitted his passport to the police after his arrival, she arranged a demonstration at the town hall. She subsequently became the local leader of the Moravian movement (''Brødremenigheten'') in Norway. She traveled between the different Moravian congregations scattered within Norway. Church of Norway authorities were soon aware of what was happening. Her religious activity are commonly considered to have contributed to restrictions on freedom of religion in both Norway and Denmark. King

Christian VI of Denmark Christian VI (30 November 1699 – 6 August 1746) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746. The eldest surviving son of Frederick IV and Louise of Mecklenburg-Güstrow, he is considered one of Denmark-Norway's more anonymous kings, bu ...

and Norway issued a Royal Decree (the Conventicle Act) on January 13, 1741, which forbade future religious gatherings without the consent of Church parish priests. The ordinance remained in effect in Norway until abolished in 1842. She spent her later years as an employee at the Moravian colony in the village of Herrnhut in eastern

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

where she died in 1791 at 82 years of age.

References

1708 births 1791 deaths Schoolteachers from Oslo 18th-century Norwegian educators 18th-century religious leaders Women Protestant religious leaders Norwegian Christian religious leaders Norwegian people of the Moravian Church Clergy from Oslo {{Norway-bio-stub

See also

References