Stiftsgården, Trondheim, Noruega, 2019-09-06, DD 41

Cecilie Christine Schøller, born Sidsel Kirstine Frølich (16 March 1720 – 19 April 1786), was a Norwegian socialite, land owner and businessperson. She was builder and owner of Stiftsgården, now the royal residence in

Trondheim, Norway Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most pop ...

. Cecilie Christine Schøller
''Norsk Biografisk Leksikon '' Retrieved November 1, 2020
''Kongehuset'' Retrieved November 1, 2020

Biography

She was born in

Tønsberg Tønsberg , historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative c ...

to Johan Frederik Frølich (1681–1757) and Hilleborg von Wettberg. Her father had

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

roots, while her mother had

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

origin. The family moved to

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

in 1740 when Johan Frederik Frølich became commanding general for Nordenfjells, the northern half of Norway. In 1742 she married the wealthy chamberlain and merchant Stie Tønsberg Schøller (1700–1769). He became county governor (''stiftamtmann'') in Trondheim and also a member of the

Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters The Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters ( da, Det Kongelige Norske Videnskabers Selskab, DKNVS) is a Norwegian learned society based in Trondheim. It was founded in 1760 and is Norway's oldest scientific and scholarly institution. The ...

from 1766 to his death in 1769. Cecilie Christine Schøller continued her husband's business after his death. She continued his extensive business interests, including the sawmill at Leira near Nidelva. She inherited her parents's farm at Munkegata in 1771 and bought several of the neighbouring properties. In 1774–1776, she built the largest wooden palace in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

, Stiftsgården in Trondheim, which has been the official royal residence in Trondheim since 1800. She was also a financier and benefactor of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letter, and regarded as an important representative of the cultural golden age in Trondheim during the 18th century. She was made Dame de L'union parfaite in 1769, and given the title Councilor (''geheimerådinne'') in 1776: this was the highest title ever given a non noble Norwegian woman, and the first time the title was given a woman at all in her own right. She moved permanently to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

in 1783 and died there in 1786. She is buried at Assistens Cemetery.

References

Other sources

*Andersen, Eystein M.(2006) ''Stiftsgården - Det kongelige palé i Trondheim'' (Andrimne Forlag: Oslo) {{DEFAULTSORT:Scholler, Cecilie Christine 18th-century Norwegian businesspeople 1720 births 1786 deaths People from Tønsberg Norwegian socialites Norwegian people of German descent Norwegian people of Danish descent Burials at Assistens Cemetery (Copenhagen)