Gabriel Skagestad was a Norwegian

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

. He served as a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the

Diocese of Stavanger The Diocese of Stavanger ( no, Stavanger bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers all of Rogaland county in western Norway. The cathedral city is Stavanger, where the Stavanger Cathedral is located. The bishop is Anne Li ...

from 1940 until 1949. Skagestad was a key figure in the resistance movement of the church during the

German occupation of Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

Personal life

Gabriel Skagestad was born on 25 November 1879 in Holme in southern

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. His parents were Tønnes Andreas Gulovsen Skagestad and his wife Else Knutsdatter. In 1913 he married Torborg Konsmo.

Education and career

He began his theological education in 1899 and he received his cand.theol. degree in 1903. His first job was as a chaplain in

Hadsel Hadsel ( sme, Válafierda) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Vesterålen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Stokmarknes. Other villages in Hadsel include Fiskebø ...

from 1903 to 1906. Next he was a chaplain in

Lyngdal is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Alleen. Some of the main villages in Lyngdal include Austad, Byremo, Fleseland, H� ...

from 1906 to 1909. He was a priest in

Hetland Hetland is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 1965 when it was dissolved. The municipality included the Stavanger Peninsula and the land surrounding both sides of the Gandsfjorden, but n ...

from 1909 until 1913. From 1913 to 1922, he was the priest for the parish of Pipervika in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

. In 1922, he became the parish priest for Mandal. He held that job for four years. In 1926, he was called to become a professor at the

MF Norwegian School of Theology MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society ( no, MF vitenskapelig høyskole for teologi, religion og samfunn), formerly the Free Faculty of Theology ( no, Det teologiske menighetsfakultet) and MF Norwegian School of Theology, is an accr ...

seminary in

. From 1933 to 1940, he served as the parish priest for the Saint Mark's Church in

. In 1940, he was appointed to be the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the

. As bishop, during the

, Skagestad worked against the collaborations with the

Quisling regime The Quisling regime or Quisling government are common names used to refer to the fascist collaborationist government led by Vidkun Quisling in German-occupied Norway during the Second World War. The official name of the regime from 1 February 19 ...

and its interference with the priesthood. Together with the other bishops of the Norwegian Church in 1942, he resigned his official government post as a bishop, but continued his ecclesiastical role as bishop. The government appointed Ole Johan Berntsen Kvasnes in 1942 as the new bishop. He was one of the priests who remained loyal to the new state government. Kvasnes retired as bishop on 5 December 1943. Bishop Kvasnes received little popular acceptance and the majority of the priests regarded themselves as Skagestad's men. During this time, Skagestad was held in

Tonstad Tonstad is the administrative centre of the municipality of Sirdal in Agder county, Norway. The village is located at the northern end of the lake Sirdalsvatnet in the Sirdalen valley. The village has a population (2015) of 874, giving the vill ...

in Sirdal and later in Helgøya, along with many other bishops. After the war, Skagestad resumed his official role as bishop for the diocese. He retired in 1949 and died in 1952.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skagestad, Gabriel 1879 births 1952 deaths Bishops of Stavanger 20th-century Lutheran bishops