The Old Bishop's Palace in Oslo (''Oslo Bispeborg'') was the residence of the

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

bishops of

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) 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 of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

. The estate is located in what is now called Gamlebyen (old town) in

, Norway. Various remnants of the medieval bishop's original palace are still visible.

History

The construction was begun around 1210 by the then bishop, Nikolas Arnesson, continuing through to the early 14th century. The palace built in stone replaced a previous bishop's residence built in wood, established in the 12th century. The main buildings were surrounded by tall walls, and from a tower, a wooden bridge connected the palace to the neighboring Hallvards Cathedral. The palace was built like a fortified

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

. Together with the cathedral, the palace was not only a religious centre in

Middle Age Middle age (or middle adulthood) is the age range of the years halfway between childhood and old age. The exact range is subject to public debate, but the term is commonly used to denote the age range from 45 to 65 years. Overall This time span ...

Oslo, it was also of significant political importance. The first agreement of union between Norway and Sweden was signed in the bishop's palace just after the death of Håkon V of Norway, in 1319. The palace was damaged after Swedish attacks in 1523, and after the

reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

in 1537 large parts of the palace were torn down. In 1554 the Protestant bishop moved to the current bishop's residence in Oslo, a former monastery. In 1579 the mayor of Oslo, Christen Mule, built a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

building on the ruins of the previous bishop's palace, and in this building King

James VI of Scotland James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

married princess Anne of Denmark on November 23, 1589. After a fire in 1722, the current manor house ('' Oslo Ladegård'') was erected by Karen Toller on the site in 1725. Oslo Ladegård was built in classical

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

style on the foundation of former Bishop's Palace. Today the manor house is used by the City of Oslo as a museum and concert hall.

References

External links

Oslo ladegård website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Old BiShop'S Palace In OSlo Palaces in Norway Castles in Norway Buildings and structures in Oslo Houses completed in 1725 1725 establishments in Norway Oslo Old Town Episcopal palaces