The Catholic Diocese of Bergen or Diocese of Bjørgvin in Norway existed from the eleventh century to the
Protestant Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...
(1537),
["Diocese of Bjørgvin (Bergen)"](_blank)
''Catholic-Hierarchy.org
''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in ...
''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016["Titular Episcopal See of Selia"]
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016 and included the (modern) counties of
Hordaland
Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Munici ...
and
Sogn og Fjordane
Sogn og Fjordane (; English: "Sogn and Fjordane") was, up to 1 January 2020, a county in western Norway, when it was merged to become part of Vestland county. Bordering previous counties Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland, the cou ...
(with exception of the parishes
Eidfjord
Eidfjord is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Eidfjord, where the majority of the municipal popula ...
and
Røldal
Røldal is a village in the municipality of Ullensvang in Vestland county, Norway. The village lies in the Røldal valley along the Storelva river on the north end of the lake Røldalsvatnet. Røldal is located about southeast of the town of ...
).
Originally (from 1068) the diocese served all the area of
Gulating
Gulating ( non, Gulaþing) was one of the first Norwegian legislative assemblies, or '' things,'' and also the name of a present-day law court of western Norway. The practice of periodic regional assemblies predates recorded history, and was ...
: the modern counties of Hordaland, Sogn og Fjordane,
Rogaland,
Vest-Agder
Vest-Agder (; "West Agder") was one of 18 counties (''fylker'') in Norway up until 1 January 2020, when it was merged with Aust-Agder to form Agder county. In 2016, there were 182,701 inhabitants, around 3.5% of the total population of Norway. I ...
and
Aust-Agder - and the regions of
Sunnmøre,
Valdres
Valdres () is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between the districts of Gudbrandsdalen and Hallingdal. The region of Valdres consists of the six municipalities of Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Sl ...
and
Hallingdal
Hallingdal ( en, Halling Valley) is a valley as well as a traditional district located in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud in Viken county in Norway. It consists of six municipalities: Flå, Nes, Gol, Hemsedal, Ål and Hol.
...
.
When 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 ...
was established, around 1125, the counties of Rogaland, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder were transferred to the new diocese - together with the regions of Valdres and Hallingdal (and the parishes of Eidfjord and Røldal from Hordaland).
The region Sunnmøre was transferred to the
Archdiocese of Nidaros some time after 1152 - to secure more income for the Archdiocese.
History
The discovery at
Selja in 996 of the supposed remains of
St. Sunniva and her companions led King
Olaf Trygveson to build a church there. It was not, however, till 1068 that a bishopric and a monastery were founded at Selje by King
Olaf Kyrre. Bernard the Saxon was the first bishop, but he later removed to the newly founded city of
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...
, where he died as its first bishop about 1090.
The diocese was originally a
suffragan of the archdiocese of
Hamburg-Bremen
The Prince-Archbishopric of Bremen (german: Fürsterzbistum Bremen) — not to be confused with the modern Archdiocese of Hamburg, founded in 1994 — was an ecclesiastical principality (787–1566/1648) of the Holy Roman Empire and the Catholic ...
, from 1104 on of that of
Lund. In 1152 Bergen became a suffragan of the new
metropolitan See of Trondhjem
The Archdiocese of Nidaros (or Niðaróss) was the metropolitan see covering Norway in the later Middle Ages. The see was the Nidaros Cathedral, in the city of Nidaros (now Trondheim). The archdiocese existed from the middle of the twelfth cen ...
, and a cathedral chapter was set up there. Bishop Paul (1156 – 1194) saw the completion of the Cathedral of Christ Church in time for the holding of a provincial council there and for the coronation of King
Magnus Erlingsön, the first coronation of a Norwegian king, in 1164. In 1170 the
relics
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tang ...
of St. Sunniva were translated to the cathedral. During the episcopate of Bishop Arne (1226 – 1256), on 29 July 1247, Cardinal
Wilhelm of Sabina crowned King
Haakon Haakonssön. In 1271 the Royal Chapel of the Holy Apostles at Bergen was made collegiate.
In 1275
Magnus VI of Norway
Magnus Haakonsson ( non, Magnús Hákonarson, no, Magnus Håkonsson, label= Modern Norwegian; 1 (or 3) May 1238 – 9 May 1280) was King of Norway (as Magnus VI) from 1263 to 1280 (junior king from 1257). One of his greatest achievements was the ...
founded a great church, as his new royal chapel at Bergen, to receive a relic of the
Crown of Thorns
According to the New Testament, a woven crown of thorns ( or grc, ἀκάνθινος στέφανος, akanthinos stephanos, label=none) was placed on the head of Jesus during the events leading up to his crucifixion. It was one of the in ...
. The dean took the title of Master of the (fourteen) Royal Chapels and was granted the right to use the episcopal ornaments. Bishop Arne Sigurdssön (1305 – 1314) regarded the privileges of the Chapel Royal at Bergen as an encroachment upon the rights of his see. He could not, however, deprive the dean, Finn Haldorssön, of his semi-independent position, as the latter had the support of the
Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...
. Arne also asserted in vain his claim that the
bishop of the Færöe Islands should be chosen amongst the clergy of the Diocese of Bergen. He was, however, successful in compelling the German merchants at Bergen to pay tithe.
Bishop Thorstein (1342 – 1349) died of the
Black Death, as did nearly all the Norwegian bishops. To his successor, the Englishman Gisbrith (1349 – 1369), we owe the ''
Bergen Manuscript'' (Björgynjar kálfskinn). Aslak Bolt, Bishop of Bergen from 1408, was translated to the See of Trondhjem in 1430. Bishop Thorleif Olafssön (1430 – 1450), having joined Olaf Nilssön at the
Brigittine
The Bridgettines, or Birgittines, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Savior (; abbreviated OSsS), is a monastic religious order of the Catholic Church founded by Saint Birgitta or Bridget of Sweden in 1344, and approved by Pope Urban ...
Convent of Munkalif, was killed there by the Germans of the
Hansa on 1 September 1455. The last Catholic bishop,
Olav Torkelsson (1523 – 1535) allowed the Cathedral of Christ Church, the Royal Chapel of the Apostles, the Dominican convent, and other ecclesiastical buildings in Bergen to be destroyed, when the fortress of the
Bergenhus
Bergenhus is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. This borough encompasses the city centre and is the most urbanized area of the whole city. The borough has a population (2014) of 40,606. This gives Bergenhus a popula ...
was enlarged. His successor, Geble Pederssön, became a
Lutheran
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
.
The
Abbey of St. Michael's, Munkalif (
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
monks, 1108 – 1426;
Brigittines
The Bridgettines, or Birgittines, formally known as the Order of the Most Holy Savior (; abbreviated OSsS), is a monastic religious order of the Catholic Church founded by Saint Birgitta or Bridget of Sweden in 1344, and approved by Pope Urban ...
, 1426 – 1470 and 1479 – 1531;
Cistercian nuns
Cistercian nuns are female members of the Cistercian Order, a religious order belonging to the Roman Catholic branch of the Catholic Church.
History
The first Cistercian monastery for women, Le Tart Abbey, was established at Tart-l'Abbaye in th ...
, 1470 – 1479), lay close to Bergen. The city and its suburbs contained in all 26 churches. Elsewhere there were the Cistercian
Abbey of Lyse, colonized from
Fountains Abbey
Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England. It is located approximately south-west of Ripon in North Yorkshire, near to the village of Aldfield. Founded in 1132, the abbey operated for 40 ...
, Yorkshire, in 1146, and the Hospital of the Holy Spirit at
Halsnøy Abbey
Halsnøy Abbey (''Halsnøy kloster'') was a house of Augustinian Canons located on the island of Halsnøy on the Hardangerfjord at Kvinnherad in Vestland, Norway.
History
Halsnøy Abbey was one of the richest monasteries in medieval era Norway ...
(about 1200 – 1539).
Councils at Bergen
Eighteen provincial councils were held at Bergen. The most important were the following:
*The council of 1164 confirmed arrangements made in 1152 by the legate Cardinal
Nicholas Breakspear
Nicholas is a male given name and a surname.
The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the name and its ...
(afterwards
Pope Adrian IV), with regard to the Norwegian Church. Their object was the establishment of the hierarchy by the following means: (1) the establishment on a firm basis of the Archbishopric of Trondhjem; (2) the foundation of cathedral chapters; (3) the assertion of the right of the Church to inherit property by will; (4) the enforcement of
clerical celibacy.
*The council of 1190 decreed the excommunication of all of guilty sacrilege, violence towards clerks, rape, or of unlawful bearing arms in church and at public assemblies.
King Sverre's Christian Law ( ''
Christenret'' ) was published at this council.
*The council held in 1273 decided that parish churches in
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
should belong to the bishop of the diocese and not to the landowners. A number of articles were also framed with a view to a reconciliation between Church and State, but they were never accepted either by pope or king.
*In 1280 many rules with regard to
excommunication
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
were made but not carried into effect, as the quarrel between Church and State broke out with renewed violence.
*At the council of 1320 a large number of regulations were made with regard to discipline. In 1327 the canons adopted at the provincial synod dealt with the relations between Church and State.
The last provincial synod at Bergen was held in 1435. It dealt with the collection of money for the maintenance of the
Council of Basle, the superstitious observance of Saturday, which was forbidden, and unauthorized begging on the part of religious.
The Bishops of Bergen before the Reformation
* Before 1067 : Bjarnvard (Bernard the Saxon) since 1067, Bishop of
Selja
* : Svein, Bishop of Selja
* (1115), (1128) : Magnus, Bishop of Selja
* (1135) : Ottar Islänning, Bishop of Selja
* 1156/57–1160 : Paal, Bishop of Selja
* 1160 – 1194 : Nikolas Petersson of Sogn, Bishop of Selja, Bishop of Bergen after 1170
* 1194 – 1216 : Martin
* 1217 – 1224 : Haavard
* 1226 – 1256 : Arne
* 1257 – 1270 : Peter
* 1270 – 1277 : Askatin
* 1278 – 1304 :
Narve
{{Infobox settlement
, official_name = Naroa
, native_name = Narve
, settlement_type = Village
, pushpin_map = India Goa#India
, mapsize = 150px
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivisio ...
,
O.P.
* 1305 – 1314 : Arne Sigurdsson
* 1314 – 1330 : Audfinn Sigurdsson
* 1336 – 1336 : Johannes
* 1332 – 1342 : Haakon Erlingsson
* 1343 – 1349 : Torstein Eiriksson
* 1349 – 1369 : Gisbrikt Erlendsson
* 1370 – 1371 : Benedikt Ringstad,
O.P.
* 1372 – 1401 : Jakob Jensson,
O.P.
* 1401 – 1407 : Jakob Knutsson
* 1408 – 1428 : Aslak Hartviktsson Bolt, Archbishop of
Nidaros since 1428
* 1430/31–1434 : Arendt Klementssøn, Archbishop of
Uppsala
Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019.
Located north of the c ...
1433 – 1434 (not consecrated)
* 1434 – 1436 : Olav Nilsson
* 1438/40–1448 : Olav Niklasson
[Diplomatarium Norvegicum]
* 1450 – 1455 :
Leif Thor Olafsson (Thorleiv Olavsson)
["Bishop Leif Thor Olafsson"]
''Catholic-Hierarchy.org
''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in ...
''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016
* 1457 – 1460 : Paulus Justiniani
* 1461 – 1474 : Finnboge Niklasson
* 1474 – 1506 : Hans Teiste
* 1507 – 1522 : Andor Ketilsson
* 1524 – 1535 :
Olav Torkelsson
References
;Attribution
* The entry, written by A.W. Taylor, cites:
**Penrose, "The Legend of St. Sunnefa" in ''The Antiquary'', V (London, 1882), 18-23;
**''Diplomatarium norvegicum'' (Christiania, 1849–1903);
**''Norges gamle Love'' (Christiania, 1846–1895);
**Keyser, ''Den norske Kirkes Historie under Katholicismen'' (Christiania, 1856-8);
**Nielsen, ''Bergen'' (Christiania, 1877);
**Lange, ''De norske Klostres Historie i Middelalderen'' (Christiania, 1856);
**Munch, ''Registrum praediorum et redituum ad ecclesias diocesis bergensis saeculo saeculo p. C. XIVto pertinentium'', ''Björgynjar Kálfskinn'' (Christiania, 1843);
**''Codex diplomatarius monasterii St. Michaelis Bergensis'' (Munkalif) (Christiania, 1845).
;Sources
*
Pius Bonifacius Gams Pius Bonifacius Gams (23 January 1816, Mittelbuch, Kingdom of Württemberg – 11 May 1892, Munich) was a German Benedictine ecclesiastical historian.
Life
His classical studies made at Biberach an der Riss and Rottweil (1826–1834), he studied ...
,
O.S.B.
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, found ...
, ''Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae, quotquot innotuerunt a beato Petro apostolo''
''The Series of the Bishops of the Catholic Church, as nany as it is known since St. Peter the Apostle'' Volume 1 (
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
: K. W. Hiersemann, 1931 )
page 333
*
Konrad Eubel
Konrad Eubel or Conradus Eubel (19 January 1842 – 5 February 1923) was a German Franciscan historian. He is known for his reference work, the ''Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi'', on medieval popes, cardinals and bishops. It appeared in thre ...
,
O.F.M., ''Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi''
''The Catholic Hierarchy of the Middle Ages'' (
Regensburg: ''Monasterii, Sumptibus et Typis Librariae Regensbergianae''
Monastery, subsidized and printed by the Library of Regensberg 1913 )
volume 1, page 134volume 2, page 104volume 3, page 132{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321112249/http://sul-derivatives.stanford.edu/derivative?CSNID=00002718&mediaType=application%2Fpdf , date=2019-03-21 .
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...
Christianity in medieval Norway
1068 establishments in Europe
11th-century establishments in Norway
Organisations based in Bergen