Torsåker parish () is in the

Diocese of Härnösand The Diocese of Härnösand () is a division in the Church of Sweden in Västernorrland County. The Cathedral is located at Trädgårdsgatan in Härnösand. History The diocese was established in 1647. In 1904, the diocese of Luleå was formed, b ...

in what is now

Kramfors Municipality Kramfors Municipality () is a municipality in Västernorrland County, northern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town Kramfors. The rural municipality of ''Gudmundrå'' was in 1947 made one of the last administrative cities of Sweden and got ...

Västernorrland County Västernorrland County () is a county ('' län'') in the north of Sweden. It is bordered by the counties of Gävleborg, Jämtland, Västerbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia. The name ''Västernorrland'' means "Western Norrland", as it was in the ...

, Sweden. Torsåker Church (''Torsåkers kyrka'') is a medieval church dating from ca. 1200. In its earliest stage, it had a Romanesque design. In the 15th century the choir was expanded and the church was extended to the west.

History

The

Torsåker witch trials The Torsåker witch trials took place in 1675 in Torsåker parish in Sweden and were the largest witch trials in Swedish history. In a single day 71 people (65 women and 6 men) were beheaded and then burned. Background The witch trial reached ...

took place in the parish during 1675. They began when Laurentius Christophori Hornæus of Ytterlännäs parish, was told by Johannes Wattrangius, of Torsåker parish, to investigate

witchcraft Witchcraft is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...

in his parish. Ytterlännäs and Torsåker were both in the

. Hornæus was zealous in his work, by time the

witch hunt A witch hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. Practicing evil spells or Incantation, incantations was proscribed and punishable in early human civilizations in the ...

was complete, 71 people, 65 women, and six men, had been beheaded and burned. This was the largest witch hunt in Sweden. All the executions were held in a single day, making it one of the largest mass killings of accused witches in recorded history.

Ministers

* 1. Dominus Suno efore 1341 he was minister in the 1330s and died before 1341. A letter to Archbishop Peter Filipson (1332–1341) from him is extant.

References

External links

Torsåker parish
ministers {{DEFAULTSORT:Torsaker parish Diocese of Härnösand Parishes of the Church of Sweden